Finding Silver in the Etherium
by Book Thief
Summary: AU   Ariel X Jim   Ariel's looking for her sister. Jim's looking for her too, except that he's got a lot more issues. Both get into more trouble than they bargained for. Trouble attracts trouble, right? Chapter Four: Urchin, grief, and determination.
1. Prologue

**Finding Silver in the Etherium**

**By Book Thief**

_Author's Notes: Any questions you may ask will be answered in the thing though : This is a crossover of Treasure Planet and The Little Mermaid. Main Pairing: Ariel x Jim. Don't like it? Well, try it before you start flaming. Thanks.  
_

_**Disclaimer**: I own nothing. The Little Mermaid and Treasure Planet both belong to Disney. I give credit to Iesnoth from Deviantart (It think she's got an account here too), who introduced me to the drug which is Ariel x Jim.  
_

**Prologue**

Ursula was having a bad day. Currently, she was destroying anything she could lay her hands on – Pots, mirrors, spells and even a few unfortunate souls. Her screams of frustration reverberated through the walls, creating a haunting noise that could be heard even in the kingdom of Atlantica.

Her recent victim, a young awkward merman (I believe his name was Finn) had signed a contract to make him handsome and strong in order to woo the mermaid of his dreams. In exchange for making him become his ideal self, she took away his one redeeming factor – his kindness. She would return only if the mermaid he loved would love him as well.

The sea witch was positive he would soon become the next dying flower in her garden of souls. She had given the young merman (who wasn't suddenly unlikable without his kindness) only two days to fulfill the contract. He had to make the mermaid confess her love for him within two days, and if he succeeded (Which, quite plainly, seemed unlikely), he would return to his original self, and the mermaid would fall out of love with him. This would mean he failed to fulfill his side of the bargain – and his soul would become Ursula's.

What were his chances of succeeding? None. But he did. And Ursula had lost.

_ She had lost. And to an ill-bred, insecure merman just out of his teenage years!  
_

"Damn her!" Ursula howled, smashing a jar of shrimp on the floor. The mermaid her intended target was in love with was actually in love with him as well – she just never had the guts to tell him. So when he came back from Ursula's lair all macho and arrogant, she was shocked. And when he tried to court her in his now-decidedly ungentlemanly manner, she was annoyed. And when he rudely tried to win her affections by doing horrible acts, she laid down the truth ("I loved you!"). But she had confessed her love, and as stated in the contract, the merman returned to how he was originally. The mermaid then fell for him again, and now they're living 'happily ever after'.

Ursula snarled again, this time sweeping an entire shelf of pots to the ground with her tentacles. The veins in her neck began to bulge as she grew angrier, and her face turned into a color only describable as puce. She grabbed the closest living thing, an unfortunate soul hiding behind a shattered pot.

Slowly, she began to shred the soul into bits, delighting in its screams of pain. "Scream louder!" she hissed, continuously ripping the poor soul into shreds.

"SCREAM!"

Her precious poopsies, Flotsam and Jetsam, cautiously entered the lair. They moved in close enough to speak to her, but far enough not to get tangled in her tentacled grasp.

"Ursssula." They hissed in unison.

The witch paused, a sudden mercy for the assaulted soul. "What is it?" she growled, the soul twitching in her open palm, the screaming reduced to a keening wail.

"Yooou have a cussstomer." hissed Flotsam, something akin to fear entering his hisses. The angry veins on Ursula's neck vanished, and a sadistic smile worked its way on her face. "Oh? Then let him in then."

The two eels exchanged looks. "Is there… a problem with that?" Flotsam drew back, realizing he shouldn't have broken the news to Ursula when she's murderous. Jetsam shrank back as he answered, "Heee _can't _come innnn."

The smile on Ursula's face never left, but as she spoke, her tone grew dark. "Why…?" she asked, giving the soul a kiss. Both eels couldn't answer; knowing whatever they say would fall on deaf ears. Ursula was in one of her moods... the murderous kind. They sent each other looks, urging the other to speak up.

"I asked you **why**!" Ursula snarled, crushing the soul swiftly in his fist. The souls all around the lair began to scream in unison, which caused the lights to dim, leaving the only visible sight the silhouette of Ursula's smile.

And that smile grew larger as Ursula approached the eels, propelling herself forward with her arms. The souls' screams became frantic, and the eels quickly began to back out of the cave. Ursula followed in hot pursuit, laughing maniacally as she gained on the eels.

"You can't escape from me poopsies!"

The eels broke through to the surface, and Ursula followed. She stood upright on the shore, tentacles still submerged in the salt water. "Now, Flotsam, Jetsam, I-" She stopped. The eels were no where to be found. But on the land…

"A human?" she hissed, tripping in surprise. She took quick note of his metal leg and floppy, un-human like ears. "No. You're _not_ human." An idea formed in her mind. "You're an overlander!" her smile returned. An overlander, looking for her? Oh, this is going to be good!

The overlander smiled, his left robotic eye flashing red. "I prefer usin' the term 'alien' myself." He offered his hand to the sea witch. "Name's John Silver, and have I got a proposition for ya!"

* * *

"… so, do we have an agreement?" Ursula asked, putting out her hand.

"'Tis a pleasure doin' business wit' ya ma'am." The overlander answered, shaking her hand. Ursula's smile grew sinister. "Oh no, the pleasure's all mine, John Silver." She turned and sank back to the sea. Flotsam and Jetsam reappeared, swimming behind her.

"We'll be seeing a lot more of each other soon Mr. Silver… and of Triton as well…" she snickered. Then, she started to laugh. The ocean shuddered in fear, her crazy laughter echoing throughout.

Perhaps it was a good day after all.

_**End of Prologue**_

_**Notes: **_

_**Overlander - Someone from another planet.  
**_


	2. Chapter One

**Finding Silver in the Etherium**

_By Book Thief_

_Author's note_: This is a crossover story between Treasure Planet and The Little Mermaid. The pairing I support is Ariel x Jim. The story takes place two years after Treasure Planet, and right at the beginning of the Little Mermaid movie.

Oh, another note, just in case:

x. _italics_ mean thoughts

x. _"italics"_ mean another language being translated

x. **bold** means... er... announcements?

x. _**bold italics**_ mean a change of place

**Disclaimer**: I so do not own either movies, because IF I did... Well, people may be saying "Eric who?" by now.

* * *

**Chapter One**

_ -Where it has yet to begin-_

**

* * *

**

**_In Atlantica..._  
**

"Where could she have gone?" King Triton murmured, worriedly awaiting the return of his youngest (and secretly favorite) daughter. He was sitting in his throne, clutching the trident in either anger or worry. Sebastian was at his side, and so were his six daughters: Attina, Aquata, Arista, Andrina, Adella, and Alana. They swam around the room, minding their own businesses.

Arista rolled her eyes, which wasn't visible under her blonde bangs. "Probably off on one of her adventures." She huffed, pulling out a clam mirror and some lipstick. "Hey! That's my lipstick!" Aquata shrilled, pulling it away from her sister, who stuck out her tongue before handing it over. "I don't doubt it. I mean, why else would she miss her debut of all things?" She adjusted her blue seashell bra the same color as her tail.

"Oh, she is in _sooo_ much trouble." Attina sighed. "It's partly my fault, I didn't check before hand." She said, pacing around the room. Andrina was by the corner, reading a book. "Then what? Cancel the show? Or put on a red wig and hope nobody notices?" she commented dryly. "Face it, once Ariel puts her mind to it, no one can stop her." She stated, swishing her lavender fins.

"But she's all alone! Anything could have happened to her." Attina continued, burrowing her face in her hands, carefully avoiding the orange mini-crown on her head. Alana was by a mirror, putting on curlers in her black hair. She said, "Flounder's probably with her. Why _do_ they hang out? I mean, Flounder's just a guppy – an un_fabulous _one at that!"

Adella sighed dreamily. Her sisters gave each other looks. "Well I for one think it's like a romantic fishtale! Going off on a daring adventure, getting into trouble, getting saved by a dashing merprince…" her goldenrod yellow fins quivered delightedly. Andrina snorted. "Ariel, with a boy? Ha! She's more interested in sand worms than in boys!"

"Hey! She might have changed her tune for all you know!"

Sebastian was by the king, grumpily nursing what was left of his career. "No matter! Dat's still no excuse for missing out on de concert!" he grumbled. "Dat girl's got ya tied around her tail fin sire. Ya need to be tough!" Sebastian hid behind his claws. "My career!" he moaned.

King Triton sighed. "Perhaps you're right Sebastian. I have been a bit too... lenient on her." He looked out the window, hoping to see his wayward daughter on her way home. "I just hope she comes home safely."

* * *

**_Log Book, Report Seven, Mission D _**

In the outskirts of the universe, there lay a tiny volcanic planet. It was a tiny planet, only a fraction bigger than Pluto from the Earthian Solar System. The inner core of the planet was a volcano, which made the entire ground hot. It was also close to a sun star, making the atmosphere hot. Steam emanated from the ground, and the few flora that grew on the planet had a taste for flesh, as did the fauna. The inhabitants of the planet were a rarer version of the feline aliens (Like retired Captain Amelia Doppler), and they sported spotted furred coats and had two tails. They were a nomadic race, and because of the harsh terrain, there were only around three hundred inhabitants living on the planet left. They had no official name for their race, so they were commonly referred to as "the felines".

Overall, the planet was underdeveloped and malnourished, which placed it under G.A. law 7 - which stated that a planet placed under this law was not to be interfered with by other planets except in dire situations. A dire situation could be an epidemic, the destruction of their home sun star...

...or the self-implosion of their planet, which was happening now.

The ground which usually allowed steam to pass was now the entrance way to gallons of magma. The feline aliens were panicking, running to higher ground in order to avoid the magma streaming out of the cracks. The planet, and those who resided on it, were destined to die.

Or where they?

* * *

**_On the Planet..._**

"_Get inside the ship - please, don't push! There's enough room for everyone! Elderly, young, and disabled enter first!"_ An officer by the entrance of the transport ship shouted over the rushing crowds of feline aliens. He wore a protective suit (made of a special cloth), which kept his body from cooking under the harsh terrain. Dozens of feline aliens crowded the rescue ship, ushered in swiftly by the human officer by the entrance hatch. The officer switched off his earpiece, which served as both a communicator and a translator.

"Is this the last batch?" He asked. Another officer, his partner, notably female and not wearing a protective bodysuit replied. "It is. Get ready to fly off. This place is going to blow soon." She said, pushing in a straggling feline child through the doors. "More importantly Hawkins, isn't it hot in that suit?" she smirked. Jim's smile was forced as he said, "Yeah, well, it's one of the drawbacks of being human." His partner, Alita, was an (1)Arkanian, which gave her the ability to adapt to any surroundings - something she never let Jim forget.

"Then it's too bad that your fans won't be able to see your face if you're wearing that suit you know..." she taunted. Jim rolled his eyes. Typical (2)NAVII girls - they had to have the "I'm-a-girl-but-I'm-don't-take-shit-from-anyone" attitude with all the guys. "I think they'd be happier if they couldn't see yours." he retorted. Alita glared at him, before climbing into the ship. "Just hurry it up. We have at least ten minutes before the planet blows, and your suit will slow down the entire ship." she huffed. "What did you stuff in there, your solar sail?"

Jim gave a wry smile. _Just the solar rocket engine._ He thought bemusedly.

Morph, a tiny pink blob alien, flew out of Jim's belt pocket. It morphed into a tinier, uglier version of Alita, chiming, "Hurry it up, hurry it up!". Jim laughed, before Alita snarled "NOW!" via radio transmission.

"I think you better go hide Morph. Alita doesn't look to pleased." Jim whispered. Morph purred agreeably before disappearing into Jim's pocket.

Jim sighed, sealing the hatch door entrance before following her into the cockpit. The pink-skinned female was at the pilot's seat, already inputting the coordinates to the (3) Galactic Alliance's headquarters. "Let's fly." Jim said, strapping himself into the co-pilot seat. Alita nodded, turning on the the radio microphone, which would allow her to broadcast her voice to every living being inside the ship. "This is a notice to all the passengers. The ship will be taking off in seven seconds, please do not panic as the ship takes off. Lift off in six...five...four...three...two..."

The Arkanian stopped mid-count, as did the human, distracted by the angry yowls and cries from within the ship. "What was that?" Alita asked. Jim stood, exiting the cockpit and cautiously entering the spacious room for the felines. "What's going on here?" He asked. Most of the feline aliens fell back, frightened. A feline couple was fighting by the hatch, unaware of the officer's presence. Jim came closer, wanting to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. As he approached, a panicked feline male ran forward to attack, a knife at hand.

Jim quickly stepped aside, grabbed the knife, held the attacker and swept him on the floor in one fluid motion. Pocketing the knife (despite Morph's protests about having no more room), Jim put a fist over his heart_. "I meant no harm."_ He said, his words being translated directly into the alien's language. An elder feline pulled back the brash male, and the group of aliens bowed respectfully on the floor, creating a pathway to the still arguing couple couple.

"_What's going on here?"_ He asked.

_"Please, please, you must save my child!"_ The female cried, kneeling on the floor. _"He is not with us here, he must have been left behind!"_ She fell on Jim's feet, begging, pleading. _"Please!"_ Her mate put a hand on her shoulder. He shook his head. _"Tora is lost to us." _The pink-skinned feline could only sob.

_This scene..._ Jim thought, _a family, huh?_ He left the room, and stood by the hatch area, which was a room different from where they kept the felines.

"Alita." he called, using the communications earpiece.

"Hawkins." she answered.

"You have an idea of the situation?"

"More or less."

"Can you stall the lift off for three minutes?"

"I can not. NAVII codes dictate that the mission must be prioritized, over everything else, even lives." Alita responded cooly, resetting the coordinates for GA headquarters.

"So, what, we're just going to leave him there?!" Jim shouted, incensed.

"I am not endangering the lives of hundreds for the sake of one life!" She said, her voice steadily rising in volume.

"...I understand... but-"

"No Hawkins. We're lifting off. End of discussion." Alita shouted, frustrated. Her finger resting upon the ignition button. Jim gave no reply. "Be that way Hawkins." she muttered, pressing the ignition button and slowly rising from the ground. Soon after, the cockpit's dashboard began to flash red, while the computerized voice began to alarm _"Hatch door open, hatch door open_". "No... no!" she cried, calling up Jim on her communicator. "HAWKINS! Get back on the ship!"

She looked down from the windshield, only to see the distant figure of Jim Hawkins running to where they had found the (4)aliens. Alita felt like screaming. Her training kept her calm despite the current situation. The Arkanian steered the ship into the sky, igniting the hyperspace engine. "_Hyperspace jump in five minutes._" the computer voice stated. "_Please close the hatch door_."

_He won't make in time_. Alita thought, closing the hatch from the cockpit. _He will die on this planet_. The consequences of her current course of action fell on her like a rock.

"Am I... doing the right thing?"

* * *

**_Back under the sea_...**

Ollie the octopus swam after Gabriella, his mermaid friend and charge. She gracefully glided across the water, in the direction of the sunken ship on the outskirts of Atlantica. This was because after Princess Ariel's no-show on her musical debut, King Triton had asked the citizens of Atlantica for their cooperation in the search of the missing princess. Gabriella was a friend of Ariel's despite, being deaf and mute. Mermaids, in general, are a race that enjoys music. Being unable to hear, speak or sing made Gabriella something of an outcast.

They met a few years ago, when she saw Ariel singing and dancing to the tune of a human toy. On that day, she had discovered a rumor about a magical wishing starfish. Ariel wanted two fins so she could dance, and Gabriella wanted to be normal. Together, they had traveled to the starfish, going past killer crabs, only to find out the magical wishing starfish was a fraud. But Ariel and Gabriella became friends from then on. The pink-finned mermaid left with her family soon after to another kingdom, but they kept in touch through letters.

"Gabriella, I think we should be getting on the aqua bus home already. Your parents might start to worry." The octopus said worriedly, speaking each word clearly so she could lip-read. "We can see Princess Ariel some other time."

"_But I want to tell her that I got accepted into the (5)swim academy in Aquatica!_" Gabriella signed to her octopus friend. "_And the last time we met, we didn't have much time to talk..._" She continued, remembering her last visit was during the time Ariel's trinkets came to life and attacked Atlantica. "_I want to thank her for supporting me all the way!_" she twirled happily in the water.

Ollie smiled. "Okay then." Gabriella smiled and continued on. The octopus stopped, noticing a small starfish on the coral rock. "I remember the time Flounder wished on a real starfish." He said, amused, not seeing dark figures darting past him and to the mermaid. "I've got to tell Gabriella!" He announced, looking back to where his friend should be, only to find empty sea water.

"Gabriella...?"

* * *

**_On another planet..._**

Jim rushed down the slope. Sorry for running off without telling you Alita, Jim thought. But I can't just leave knowing I could have done something to help the kid! He stopped near a cliff, out of breath. "This is not working well Morph." He said to the pink blob trailing behind him.

"Not working, not working!" Morph agreed, morphing into a tiny Jim.

"We only have around two minutes before the ship can make a hyperspace jump. At the rate we're going, were going to blow up with the planet." the brunette mumbled, standing up. "Let's keep moving Morph... Morph?"

The pink blob flew to a long wooden board, interested in the blue-colored tint of the bark. "Morph, what are you doing? We gotta..." An idea struck Jim mid-sentence. The very close sun-star. A wooden board. The solar engine he brought along in his suit.

"No... that's a crazy idea..." He muttered. Morph flew closer, interested in the human's ramblings. "Riding in a makeshift solar surfer? I must be insane... my instructors back in the academy would kill me." Jim sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Did I do the right thing?" The pink blob circled Jim's head to catch his attention. "Morph?" He asked.

Morph shifted into a tinier version of Jim's father figure, John Silver. "Stick to it, stick to it!" the miniature Silver chanted, hands on his waist.

The corners of Jim's lips turned upwards. Nothing ever came of wondering about what you could have done.

Moving over to the board, Jim took out the solar engine in his suit. It was an easily installed engine, only needing to be placed upon the board (Similar to the engine on his solar surfer back home on Montressor) . The human then stripped himself of his protective suit, using it as a sail. "Without the suit, I should last a few minutes." He said to himself, setting the makeshift solar sail by the edge of the cliff. Morph climbed into Jim's uniform (which he wore beneath his suit).

"Ready Morph?" Jim asked his pink friend. The blob purred in reply.

Pushing off the cliff, the solar surfer fell down straight, while the human held the sail down to gain speed. Before the surfer could hit the ground, Jim released the sail, which caught the wind and kept the entire solar sail aloft. Maneuvering expertly between bubbles of magma and hissing steam, Jim searched for the missing feline. Within a few seconds, the solar sail had reached the Feline's camp.

_The entire camp is flooded with magma. Is the kid still alive?_ Jim thought as he circled the camp. "_Tora! Where are you?_" He called. Even without the helmet, Jim kept the earpiece communicator and translator. _"I'm here to help you!" _ He shouted.

From a strange yellow-barked tree, a small feline child could not make a sound, trapped in the trees tangled vines. While the flora was still alive, it had grabbed him with its vines. It would have ate him too, if the magma didn't flood the camp and effectively kill the tree. But even in death, the tree's grip was still strong. When the kitten heard his name being called, he made attempts to break free. One of the vines covered his mouth, muffling his shouts for help.

"Hhmph mmeph!"

"You heard that Morph?" Jim asked, searching for the source of the sound. The blob nodded, giggling happily. "It seems like it was coming from that tree over there." He said, turning the solar surfer sharply to inspect the tree. As he passed the tree, he saw a small feline tangled in the vines, unable to break free. But Jim couldn't get too close, otherwise the solar surfer would fall to the magma below, and all would be lost.

_"Wait there!_" He shouted to the feline, circling the area until he got a clear shot of the upper area vines. Using the knife he disarmed from another feline, Jim threw the sharp object. It flew past the upper vines, cutting them and dropping the feline. The feline screamed as he was released, falling to the magma-covered ground. The human maneuvered the surfer, catching the feline in the nick of time.

"Oof!" The human grunted as he caught the little alien. He set the kid down on the board, nearly losing control of the surfer. "_Hold on to my leg Tora. Don't let go of it._" He instructed, accelerating the surfer. Morph squealed in glee at the racing speed. _"W-who are you?"_ The feline asked, looking at Jim with much awe. Jim sped up, raising the sail, raising the surfer upwards.

The human did not reply to the alien, instead focusing on the rescue ship in the sky. A tear in the atmosphere was slowly enlarging right before it. _The hyperspace warp! It's almost ready! We probably only have a minute left!_ Jim thought hurriedly, accelerating the engine to its maximum speed. The rescue ship began to move into the warp. _Almost there! The ship... _"What?" Jim murmured, his vision fading. His body ached, and his breathing was coming in uneven gasps.

_My body can't handle much more of this terrain!_

The solar surfer was nearing the ship, which was already halfway in the warp. "Alita." Jim gasped, calling up his partner using the communicator.

"Hawkins! What -"

"No time to explain." Jim wheezed, his hands gripping the sail with the last of his strength. "Open the ... open the hatch." He coughed.

"But the ship's already - "

"OPEN THE HATCH!" he shouted, feeling his small passenger's paws clutching his leg, trembling. The ship was right in front of them!

The hatch slid open, gushes of air entering the ship. Jim flew above the ship, positioning the surfer for a dive. In any other situation, Jim would have just flown in the open hatch, but he could no longer concentrate properly with his body feeling the effects of the harsh terrain. He closed the sails with a grunt, letting the gravity rush the solar surfer down. It spun around, and the human grabbed hold of the alien before he slipped. The surfer crashed down inside the ship through the hatch with a loud thud.

"Closing the hatch!" Alita called, the hatch quickly closing. Jim sighed in relief, his vision returning and his breathing normal. The solar surfer was practically destroyed, as it collided into the metal wall. Jim broke the feline's fall, covering the feline as his back collided into the wall. Slumping down in exhaustion, Jim felt the ship lurch, signaling it's entrance into the hyperspace warp.

The feline looked up at the tired human with respect. Jim's ears were occupied with Alita, who was cursing him in every way possible through the communicator. Morph remained gleeful, speeding through the room, unperturbed by the close call they had.

Jim gave the feline a tired smile.

_"I'm Jim Hawkins. Nice to meet you."_

_

* * *

_

_**In Atlantica...**_

"You went to the surface again, didn't you!" King Triton thundered to his youngest daughter, who had finally returned from another one of her adventures. Her friend and companion, guppy Flounder, accidentally slip that they had met a sea gull. And King Triton may be many things, but stupid isn't one of them.

"Nothing... happened." Ariel answered, looking away guiltily. Sebastian harrumphed in the corner.

The Mer-king palmed his face. "Ariel. How many times must we go through this?" He asked, feeling despaired. "You could have been seen by one of those - " The doors burst open, and one of the royal guards came in. He knelt before the king. "What is it, Captain Gillion?" Triton asked. _He's the kind of guy my sisters love_, Ariel thought._ All heroic, staid, serious... and not to mention boring. _She shuddered. "Rise and speak your news."

The captain of the royal guard stood quickly. "Sire, three mermaids have gone missing tonight!" Ariel covered her mouth in shock. Flounder's mouth fell to the floor, and Sebastian made a high pitched squeal.

King Triton was dumbfounded. "Impossible! Are you sure they have gone missing?" Gilleon nodded gravely. "Their friends and family reported this. They are still in the castle. Shall I bring them, sire?" The king nodded. "Bring them in at once." The captain bowed quickly, leaving the room. Triton turned to his youngest.

"This discussion is not yet over Ariel. We'll talk later." Ariel nodded, relieved and worried at the same time. She had gotten off another telling off, but she worried for the missing mermaids. "Flounder, you should be getting home now." he added. As the mermaid and guppy left the room, Gillion passed.

_Ollie!?_ Ariel thought, as her octopus friend, a merman, and a crab passed by her to get to the Throne Room. The doors shut with a light bang.

"Ariel! That was Ollie, wasn't it? What's he doing here?" Flounder whispered. Ariel shook her head. "Don't you get it Flounder?" She asked, her mind quickly working out the reason. "Three mermaids went missing tonight. Three other fish went in the room! They must be the friends and family!" She whispered quickly, not liking where her line of thought was taking her.

"Then that could only mean that... Gabriella! Oh no..." The red head cried, worriedly thinking about her friend. "Flounder! We've just gotta listen in on this!"

Flounder shook his head. "B-but Ariel, King Triton told me to-" He saw Ariel give her teary-eyed pout. "Oh alright." They swam to the garden, evading the palace guards. Hiding in the sea-bushes, they listened in.

"...I've searched everywhere your highness! All the nightclubs, all her friend's houses! She's nowhere to be found!" The crab who had entered a while ago cried. "Miss Pearl has gone missing!" Ariel bit her lip to stop from gasping. "No-" Flounder started, Ariel covering his mouth. "Shh!" _First Gabriella, and now Pearl? Where could they have gone?_ Ariel wondered. Pearl, her high-classed friend, center of attention, party-goer, and Alana's idol, missing? What could have happened?

"I understand the situation." Triton said gently to his subjects. "Captain." Triton called the blonde Gillion.

"Sire?"

"I want the guards to search the entire city for these girls. Look in every nook and cranny! Contact the other kingdoms for their cooperation!"

"Right away Sire." Gillion responded, leaving the room.

"Gabriella was there one moment, and the next... she was gone." Ollie cried. "Oh, please find her!" Sebastian rubbed the Octopus' head consolingly. "Der der Ollie. We'll find Gabriella."

Triton returned to his subjects. "Rest assured that we will find these girls." Ollie, The crab (_Pearl's butler_, Ariel thought), and the scrawny merman bowed their heads gratefully. "Thank you, your highness!" Ollie said, tears in his eyes. They left the throne room. Triton slumped in his seat.

"Kidnappings? Who would kidnap these mermaids...?" He muttered. Sebastian shook his head. "I dun like the sound of dis your Majesty." Triton sighed. "Sebastian, tell the guards to raise the security around Atlantica. Twenty-four hour patrols. The safety of our citizens come first."

"Yes sire." Sebastian replied.

Ariel and Flounder breathed heavily from the bushes. Ariel bit her lip.

_Who could have done such a thing?_

**End of Chapter One**

* * *

**Notes**

1. Arkanians - an alien race that has a humanoid appearance, except that they have pink skin and yellow eyes. Their hair is similar to tentacles, and the males have a small horn on the top of their head. Arkanians have the special ability to adapt to any surroundings in nanoseconds, which makes them ideal for the galactic alliance. Their native tongue is hard for others not of their species to speak, so each Arkanian is given a nickname outside their home planet.

2. NAVII - Pronounced as "Navy". It is an elite group of undercover agents under the control of the head of the Galactic Alliance. Their jobs are to prevent chaos on other planets. Each officer must have a partner.

3. Galactic Alliance - Similar to the United Nations, except with much more authority.

4. Aliens - NAVII slang for denizens.

5. Swim Academy - similar to a dancing academy, except for swimming routines.

**Author's Note to the Readers:**

Forgive me, dear readers. I love the Jim-Ariel Pairing, and I have a wonderful plot to go with it... but I don't have the skill to do it justice. So any mistakes, problems, questions you may have, please direct them to me (hopefully in a review!), and I will answer them to the best of my ability.


	3. Chapter Two

**Finding Silver in the Etherium**

_By Book Thief_

**Disclaimer**: This fic? Yes. The characters? Not all. Disney? Don't I wish?

* * *

x. _italics_ mean thoughts

x. _"italics" _mean singing or translated words.

x. **bold** means... er... announcements?

x. _**bold italics**_ mean a change of place

x. 'blah blah blah' means signals, sign languages,

x. "Talking"

_Quick Note, More at the END:_

Sorry for the late update.

Things... happened. (In detail, my great-grandmother died, but let's not talk about this, okay?)

This chapter should be longer, but I wouldn't know when I'd finish! To my readers – thanks for waiting.

For my reviewers – your comments help me loads, thank you!

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

_-Where we start moving forward-_

_

* * *

-  
_

_**On Montressor... **_

"Mr. Hawkins, please look over here!"

Jim turned his head to look at the little frog girl, who eagerly snapped a shot with her camera. "Thank you, Mr Hawkins!" she said, running off to her mother. "Mama, mama, I got Jim Hawkin's picture!" she exclaimed proudly.

The said human banged his head on the counter of his mother's inn, sighing. Regular customers snickered, used to such business. After Jim's exploits (greatly exaggerated by the press) on Treasure Planet, he had become something of a celebrity. At the beginning, Jim had loved the attention. It was flattering, having newspapers and magazines hail him as the "Hero of Montressor" or "Great adventurer of the Etherium". _But now... when will it all stop!? _He grumpily thought, spotting a poorly disguised reporter already writing his next tabloid article: "Jim Hawkins – a thing for kids?".

"Jim, if you have nothing better to do then to sulk, you might as well help around." Sarah Hawkins told her son nonchalantly, delivering food to a nearby customer on the counter. "B.E.N. could use a little help in the kitchen." she said, pointing to the kitchen door behind her, where ominous black smoke and the clanking of metal could be seen and heard from the counter.

"Err... no thanks." The officer replied, looking away quickly. He tugged on his growing ponytail. _When was the last time I saw a barber?_ He wondered, inspecting the end of the ponytail. His pet and friend, Morph, a tiny pink blob, happily zoomed off, disturbing some customers.

"Morph...!" Jim called. The blob ignored him.

His mother smiled at him. She loved her little boy (Despite the fact he isn't 'little' anymore), though she worried about him whenever he went off on one of his big missions. Sarah Hawkins knew Jim would be fine, but a part of her always feared that one day, he wouldn't be coming home again. _He's just like his father..._ she smiled sadly, Jim's face overlapping with her husband's.

_Always looking for something... but what?_ Sarah Hawkins shook her head, as if the action would clear out her muddled thoughts. She moved closer to her son, a soft smile forming on her face.

"Why don't you visit Delbert? He drops by from time to time for lunch." She suggested, leaning on the counter in front of Jim. "His children are adorable." Morph squealed happily from the other side of the inn, successful in stealing some unsuspecting customer's food.

Jim smiled, liking the idea. "Why not? I haven't seen them in weeks." He stood up, and walked in the direction of the doors, when his mother pulled him back.

"You're not going out looking like that, are you?!" She cried, scandalized.

Jim looked at his clothes. "What's wrong with them?"

The spacer was wearing his NAVII uniform, cutting a gallant figure in the dark blue cloth. Sarah palmed her face and groaned. _You'd get mobbed on your way there! That uniform screams "Jim Hawkins"!_ _I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time you went out like that!_ She shooed him away to his room on the second floor. "Don't you get tired of that uniform? When you got home two days ago (which you spent sleeping, as I recall), you were wearing the same thing!"

Sarah pulled her son away from the doorway, spotting the newspaper from two days ago, where Jim's actions were told to the public. "Speaking of which – what you did on Planet Explode was downright stupid! Solar surfing on that hot planet without a protective suit!? When you came home, your uniform was charred!"

The eighteen year old scowled. "I have five sets of this uniform, mother."

"That's not what I meant!" she sighed. "Just change, please?" She pleaded, not wanting to start an argument. Jim grudgingly went up the stairs, Sarah's voice echoing "And don't come out 'til you look acceptable!". B.E.N. popped his head out of the kitchen window. "Did I just hear the sound of Jim being difficult?" He asked, offering a steaming plate of soup to Sarah.

Sarah gave the robot a wry smile, carefully taking the soup. "If he wasn't that way, he wouldn't be Jim, now would he?"

B.E.N. Nodded seriously. "Where's Jimmy off to anyway?" Sarah looked, away, feeling guilty. B.E.N. stared suspiciously.

"Mrs. H! Don't tell me you're sending him over to the doctor's...!"

Jim's mother quickly covered the robot's speakers. "Shh! Not a word to Jim! Delbert needs all the help he can get!"

Feeling sorry for Jim, but relieved it wasn't him, B.E.N. agreed.

* * *

_**In Atlantica...**_

Ariel crept down the hallways of the palace, carefully avoiding the assigned guards patrolling the area. Flounder followed her, scared out of his guppy wits.

"A-Ariel," He stuttered, breaking the silence. The princess shushed him immediately, peeking around the corner to see if a guard was close by. "Ma-maybe we shouldn't be d-doing this..." he continued. The red-headed mermaid gave the guppy the look she always gave him when he felt like chickening out of an adventure.

"Flounder, don't be such a guppy." She whispered. There was a clanging sound of metal armor from both ends of the corridors, alerting the mermaid to in-coming guards.

Flounder tugged on Ariel's hair. "Were trapped!" he whispered, frightened. The princess pulled her friend with her. "Over here!" she whispered quickly, dragging Flounder to the window, where she unceremoniously threw the yellow guppy out the porthole-like opening. She followed soon after, plunging down to the courtyard from the third floor of the palace.

As she landed in the dark courtyard, Ariel strained her eyes to see her yellow friend. "Flounder, where are you?" She hissed, crouching down just in case any guards were about. A muffled noise coming from the kelp bushes caught her attention.

She pushed back the errant kelp to uncover Flounder, tangled in the dark underwater weeds. Shaking her head with a smile, the princess moved in the kelp to release the guppy.

"Thanks Ariel." Flounder breathed.

The mermaid opened her mouth to reply, only to quickly duck back down into the kelp, bringing Flounder down with her. "Ari-" Flounder began, stopping immediately after seeing Ariel motioning him to stay silent. A merman lumbered by, and in the darkness, did not see the mermaid and fish hiding right beneath his fins. Sighing, the merman covered his face.

'Who is he?' Flounder signaled to Ariel.

'I don't know either.' she motioned, shrugging her shoulders for emphasis. 'Just stay silent. Luckily, he can't see us.'

The merman was tall, though his face was covered in the shadows. Ariel and Flounder held their breaths, hoping the merman would leave soon. Ariel's long, voluminous hair flowed with the water, a brush's worth of hair touching the merman's fin on accident.

The mermaid cringed, suddenly wishing she had pinned her hair up, something her sisters frequently told her to do. The merman bent down, hands roaming about for the object which had brushed him. Ariel slowly moved back, the hands cornering her around the kelp bushes. Flounder covered his eyes, mouthing a prayer to Neptune.

The hands were about to reach the mermaid when a deep voice called out.

"Sire!"

The merman (who was facing the two wayward minors, but could not see anything due to the darkness) turned his head slightly, allowing the moonlight to shine on his face. Ariel bit her lip.

It was her father!

"Sebastian?" Triton answered, quickly forgetting about the object which had tickled his fin. His daughter used this minor distraction to hide beneath the kelp bushes, Flounder tucked into her arms.

The crustacean swam to the king, carrying a lamp in the form of a glowing jellyfish. "Sire! We should be getting back to de palace..." he said. "We have searched de entire kingdom for two days now – including dat sea witch's lair! And you have not slept a wink – not one!"

King Triton sighed, his forefinger and thumb rubbing his eyelids in exhaustion. "My people need me, Sebastian. Those missing mermaids need me!" He sighed again. "I've spent those two days scrying in my room – and the only thing I can ascertain is that the girls are alive!"

_Oh father... _Ariel thought guiltily, peeking at his tired face from a small opening in the kelp.

"Whoever took these girls..." he continued, pacing the grounds. "Is either an accomplished magician or something out of this world." Sighing again, Triton seated himself on a bench.

Moving closer to his king, Sebastian gently placed his claw on the merman's shoulder. "But you need rest sire. You mebbe a king, but you are still a merman."

The King smiled at his advisor.

"Thank you Sebastian." he said, his thoughts drifting off to his people. "But Atlantica is scared. Nothing like this has ever happened to them before. Another kidnapping could bring down the kingdom..." he broke off, troubled.

Sebastian shook his head. "But Atlantica's never been more secure den it is today. Worry not sire, and get some rest." The king nodded, tiredly swimming back to the palace. Pausing suddenly, he turned to look at the crab.

"Oh, Sebastian?" he called. The crab responded with an immediate "Yes Sire?"

"Please see to it that the families of the missing mermaids are updated as often as possible. They must be incredibly worried." Shaking his head, he continued. "I can only pray to Neptune that I never have to find out what it feels like to have your child suddenly taken from your side. If any of my daughters were taken..." he drifted off, his voice no longer within hearing range from where Ariel and Flounder hid. Sebastian followed soon after.

Ariel looked down, feeling guiltier than ever. Her father was losing sleep over worrying about the safety of his people, and here she was, slipping out of the castle! A part of her wanted to swim back into the palace. But another part, a bigger part of her, urged her to continue onwards. This is important!

_What am I supposed to do...? _She thought. Her father's tired face sprung into her mind.

"Ariel? Ariel! Come on, snap out of it!" Flounder called, waving a fin in front of the mermaid's face. "They're gone. Are we gonna keep moving or what?" Coming out of her reverie, Ariel smiled uncertainly, climbing out of the sea kelp. "Hurry Ariel! The guards might come at any moment..." He said hurriedly, fearing a massive scolding from his mother if he were to be caught.

"Um, Flounder?" she murmured, putting her hands together nervously. The yellow guppy didn't reply, scurrying along the garden walls, searching for something on the walls. "Maybe... maybe we should..." she continued, struggling to decide.

Flounder barely understood Ariel's words, focusing all his attention on the garden walls. "If I remember... there's a small opening in the walls." He muttered. "It should be around here..."

Ariel swam close, pulling away the vine-like flora that covered the walls. "It's around here." She said quietly. Flounder looked amazed. "How did you know? It's been years since we last used that exit!" He said, swimming past the small opening.

"Oh, Pearl showed it... to me..." Ariel said, remembering her kidnapped friends. _Are they alright...? _Thoughts swirled through her head. _I'm doing this for them!_ She thought determinedly.

Flounder poked his head out of the opening. "Are you coming Ariel?"

The merprincess swam out of the palace through the crack, not even glancing back at the place she called home._ Daddy... I'm sorry... _"C'mon Flounder, to my grotto!" She smiled, sprinting off. Flounder stared. "I don't think there's anyone in this entire universe that can get into much trouble as Ariel!"

"Flounder, hurry up!"

* * *

_**On the R.L.S. Dreamer...**_

Jim sneezed, catching the attention of the other passengers on the ship. Rubbing his nose sheepishly, the spacer excused himself, leaving the crowded passenger area for some air.

"I wonder if someone's been talking about me...(1)" He muttered, leaning on the ship's railings.

Taking a deep breath, Jim smiled. The pulling sensation of the anti-gravity beam on his body, the shimmering of the solar sails reflecting the sun, and the gentle rocking of the of a ship in motion – oh, how he had missed it all.

He was on the R.L.S. Dreamer, a small passenger vessel which ferried people from Montressor to the outlying moons and asteroids which become the grounds for private communities or small towns. The ship was on the route of a small moon named Hestia, where Delbert and Amelia lived.

_Why did I give up this life?_ Jim wondered, admiring the steering of the helmsman(2). _How could I give up... all of this?_ He climbed up the railings, and while balancing, lost himself in the sight that was the Etherium(3). A drop of water hit the NAVII officer's cheek, bringing him back to senses. Jim turned his head, seeing a young man trudge by, a mop and pail in hand.

He was a sailor, obviously a cadet from the Naval academy(4), grumbled as he mopped the deck. _Oh, I __remember now_. Jim thought, all happy feelings quickly disappearing as he continued to watch the cadet work. _He's probably never done a day's work in his life_. The spacer thought as the cadet dropped the mop in disgust.

Turning away, the eighteen year old morosely leaned on the guardrail. Staring into the empty space, his thoughts turned.

"...It would have been my third year, wouldn't it?" he sighed, memories passing him by. The intercom sounded, announcing the arrival of the ship to its destination.

"All passengers disembarking at Hestia, we have arrived at our destination."

Jim, distracted from his thoughts at last, followed the crowd to the exit. The vessel was securely anchored to its respective moor, and people alighted from the vessel from the exit ramp. The spacer then called a coach(5) and gave the directions for Dr. Delbert's estate.

The driver, an alien-specie whose name was unpronounceable to those having a human tongue, kept staring at Jim through the rear-view mirror.

"Sir...? Are you by any chance Jim Hawkins?" The driver asked in a gravelly tone (not surprising as his alien specie was a living rock of all things).

Jim continued to look at the view disinterestedly from the coach windows.

"Nope." he replied calmly, suddenly thankful he was not wearing his uniform – which was a dead giveaway in public places.

"Sorry then. You look like him."

"No problem-o." Jim replied dryly. The driver continued on talking. "My little one's a huge fan of Mr. Hawkins." he said happily. "He's a great role model for the kids. Teaches 'em that even dreams come true as long as ya don't give up. Speaking of which, my kid's already three years old and..."

Jim tuned out the rest of the driver's talk, suddenly feeling like a fraud. _A role model? Never giving up?_ The spacer thought bitterly. _Then why have I already given up on my dream?_

_

* * *

-  
_

_**In Atlantica...**_

Ariel raced to her grotto, which was far from the kingdom of Atlantica and quite close to a human kingdom. Flounder lagged behind her, neither having Ariel's strength or endurance. Finally arriving outside their destination, Ariel rolled away the giant rock which kept her grotto secret.

Huffing in relief, the guppy entered the grotto, sighing. The mermaid stayed back, rolling the rock back into place before going deeper into the grotto.

"So, why are we here again Ariel?" Flounder asked, bumping into a stalagmite by accident. "It's dark in here!" He noted obviously, looking up into the sky from a circular hole in the ceiling of the grotto. "The moon isn't here tonight!"

The mermaid scratched her head. "I didn't anything to light up the grotto though... I didn't have much time to prepare."

"Can't you use your magic?"

Ariel stared up into the ceiling, and to her collection of human objects. "You know I hate using my magick... but we need the light."

Holding up her hand, the princess concentrated with her eyes closed, drawing out a force which lay hidden within her body. It was a tedious process, magick(6). Pulling out the power within the body isn't a skill any mermaid or merman could use – and those who could wielded great power.

But Ariel hated using her magick. Not only was it an unnatural feeling, like giving away bits of your life to feed a hungry energy, Magick needed hours and hours of study and practice to perfect, and, as a Princess of Atlantica, Ariel had lessons... most of which she skipped out on. Because of which, Ariel knew only a few spells – one to make an orb of light, one to levitate objects from a certain range, and one advanced spell to cast lightning.

Even though her eyes were closed, Ariel could feel a flash of bright light, and a warmth on her palm. Opening her eyes, an orb of light floated a few centimeters from her palm.

"Wow, Ariel!" Flounder exclaimed, awed by the display of magick.

The mermaid threw the orb into the air, letting stay afloat and light up the grotto. "There, now we can see." She said happily, glimpsing at her appearance from the a metallic spoon._ I look like such a mess! Another reason I hate using magick!_ She scowled at her bedraggled appearance. Her hair frizzed up whenever she used magick, like the time she brushed against an electric eel on one of her adventures.

Flounder giggled at his friend's funny appearance. "Does that happen to your sisters when they use magick too?"

"Not to Attina... I think. She's to become the next wielder of the trident, so she studies magic on a regular basis. Arista's skin shrivels up a bit whenever she uses magic – which is probably why she never uses her magick either. (Flounder laughed, knowing all too well how vain Arista is.) Adella's the one with the most aptitude for magick, so I don't think she gets any side effects from using magick."

Of Triton's seven daughters, only four had magic. Aquata, the eldest and next-in-line for the throne, could not use magick, so she could not wield the trident(7), so she would need one of her sisters to become become her right hand and wield it for her. Attina (Who often acted like a mother hen) was chosen because Arista didn't want the job, while both Adella and Ariel were too young.

Swimming around her collection of human objects, Ariel searched the shelves for certain item. Flounder followed, asking, "Why'd we have to go all the way to your grotto in the middle of the night anyway? You never told me the reason."

Ariel continued her search, singing a song to make her work less tedious. "_Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?_" she sang. Looking back at her companion, she smiled.

"Urchin left me one of his parent's rare spell books. I've looked through it only once, but I remember there being a spell titled 'Find Me'. We can use that to find Pearl, Gabriella and Brooke (8)!" Ariel said, continuing her song.

Flounder looked skeptic. "But don't you think your dad tried all the searching spells already?"

Humming happily, Ariel continued to sing. "_What would I give If I could live out of these waters_... Ah! Here it is! Under the the dinglehopper holder!" She said excitedly, holding up a candelabra where a fork, spoon, and knife took the places of the candles. Flounder swam closer as Ariel took out the spell book.

"This book is different Flounder – according to Urchin, it's one-of-a-kind, because it came from a human magician!" Ariel explained excitedly, as she often did when the topic was on humans. She opened the book and began turning its wooden pages. "Now, let's see... Find me spell..."

The guppy watched his friend, suddenly feeling the grotto become darker.

"A-Ariel...?" he quivered, looking up at the hole in the ceiling.

"Yes Flounder?" Ariel replied distractedly, her attention on the spell book.

The guppy gulped. "T-there's s-something you need to see..."

"Not now Flounder..."

"A-Ariel!"

Hearing her friend's panicked voice, Ariel looked up, suddenly noticing the giant shadow above the grotto. "What _IS_ that?" She wondered. Flounder suddenly began wishing he hadn't called Ariel's attention. Putting the spell book in her shoulder bag, she swam upwards, towards the surface.

"C'mon Flounder, let's investigate!"

* * *

_**On Asteroid Hestia...**_

Jim pressed the buzzer in the giant mansion that was the Doppler Estate. The door opened, and a disorderly-looking Delbert Doppler came out.

Blinking, the good doctor was surprised. "Jim, is that you?" He asked, cleaning his glasses quickly and putting them back on. "Jim, it is you!" The canine doctor said with relief, hugging the the spacer tiredly.

"Thank goodness you're here! I need your help – there's an emergency!" Delbert said, pulling the young man hurriedly into the house. The spacer noticed the good doctor carrying a pot in his other hand. "Woah, woah, woah! What's going on doc? Where's the captain?" Jim managed to say, despite being pulled briskly by the doctor. The doctor passed multiple rooms, stopping only in front of the library doors.

An alien guarded the door.

It was green in color, and had a stupid, pleased expression on its face, wagging its tiny tail as the doctor approached. "Good girl Delilah!" Delbert praised, patting the alien pet on the head. It opened its mouth, letting copious amounts of saliva drip down on the carpeted floor.

"Prepare yourself, James." Delbert gulped, placing the pot on his head like one would wear a helmet. Jim was on his guard, the doctor's nervous tone worrying him. Delbert reached for the door knob, when Delilah suddenly whimpered and scampered out of the house.

"Wait a second Doc... what the hell is in there!?" The spacer said, freaked by the large alien's reaction. Delbert twisted the knob slowly. "No time to back out now Jim!"

Opening the door, Delbert and Jim entered the room slowly. "Doc?" Jim whispered. "There's nothing in here."

"No... they're in here somewhere. I can feel it." Delbert replied, "Be carefu – Jim, BEHIND YOU!"

The human whirled around, but it was too late. He was tackled down to the floor. Grunting in pain, the spacer opened his eyes to see four pairs of eyes staring back at him.

"Unca Jim!"

* * *

_**In Atlantica...**_

King Triton sighed from within his chambers. His room, which was usually neat, was in a disorganized mess. Spell books, tomes of knowledge and even scrolls of history were left on the floor. Papers were on his desk, and a bottle of spilled ink was left on the floor. The only things that remained in position was Triton's bed, which was untouched, and a large circular mirror which the king used to search for(9) the missing mermaids showed fuzzy images.

Despite Sebastian's advice (and somewhat order), King Triton continued to exhaust his magic in search of the mermaids. But it was already quite late, and the king had no new leads on the missing maidens.

"I suppose I must get some sleep. I'm useless to this case if I can not even stay awake." He yawned to himself. "But I should visit the girls before I go to sleep."

The king left his room, Trident in hand, slowly swimming to his daughters' room. Opening the door quietly, the mer-king crept in silently, moving over to the first bed, where his first daughter slept. After kissing her forehead and stroking her face, he moved on to his next daughter.

The princesses slept in the order of their birth. The eldest slept closest to the door, while the youngest was situated next to the window. After passing six of his daughters, Triton stopped by the last bed. _Ariel covered herself up again._ He thought. Pulling the covers off, the king found not his daughter, but pillows arranged in the shape of a mermaid!

"Ariel...!" He whispered, horrified. "She's been kidnapped!"

And the sea began to howl.

_End of Second Chapter_

* * *

**The Numbered Stuff:**

1. There is a superstition that if you sneeze, it means someone is talking about you.

2. From my (LIMITED) amount of knowledge of ships and its crew, I think the **Helmsman** is the guy who steers the ship.

3. Etherium - It is space with oxygen. This is because when the Disney people were making the film, they decided that without the ships, the idea of pirates and treasure and whatnot would lose its charm or something similar to that. So the Disney guys made a theoretical universe where we can breathe in space. They named it the Etherium. It's in wikipedia, go check it out if you're curious.

4. All Naval Cadets wear a white uniform. So it's really obvious who they are.

5. A coach, yes. The kind pulled by an animal. With all their fancy gadgets, why do they insist on carriages as transportation? To avoid pollution. :D

6. Magick, or mermagic. I wanted to spell it that way. It made it seem more... ancient.

7. The Trident of King Triton can only be removed from its... stand if a blood relative takes it. But anyone who can use magick can wield it. Once in a while, the next King or Queen may have no magic, so they must have a blood relative who can use magick become the Trident Wielder for them.

8. Brooke is the other kidnapped mermaid. And no, Ariel does not know her. How'd she find out? Kidnappings don't stay secret for long in Atlantica.

9. King Triton uses the (SPECIAL) mirror in his room to search for the missing mermaids by casting certain spells to look for their visage in the mirror. There are many kinds of spells to find things, but they all have one thing in common – a blank image means that what your searching for is either dead or destroyed. A fuzzy image means they're alive but out of searching range. If you can see them, then you can find them.

**Note:**

This took me longer than I hoped it would take. I'm really, really sorry for the late chapter. Tell me what you think so far! Any other questions? Just ask me.

My last chapter had a lot of mistakes in it. I had accidentally uploaded the wrong document, and since I was tired, I published it without checking. (Bangs head), So stupid of me. They were tiny errors... and one big one... But I fixed it already (I think I did...), so everything should be hunky-dory. I'm working on chapter three as we speak. (I do hope I finish before the month ends...)


	4. Chapter Three

**Finding Silver in the Etherium**

_By Book Thief_

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not now. Maybe someday. Just not right now.

x. _italics_ mean thoughts

x. _"italics" _mean singing or translated words.

x. **bold** means... er... announcements?

x. _**bold italics**_ mean a change of place

* * *

**Chapter Three**

-The storm begins-

* * *

_**On the sea...**_

A young man looked out to sea, dreamily staring out at sea. The waves gently rocked the prow of the ship, while a zephyr kept the night air cool. The stars were reflected on the calm sea, making the world seem as though one were...

_...in outer space!_ Eric thought dreamily, petting his faithful dog. "Isn't it beautiful, Max?" He asked. The English Sheepdog barked in reply, panting happily. The waves suddenly stirred, rocking the ship. _That's odd. The water was calm just a moment ago... _

An older man tapped the royal gently on the back, calling his attention. "Prince Eric?" The dark-haired prince looked to his advisor attentively. "Grimsby?" he echoed, forgetting about the waves' sudden change of mood.

Grimsby was Eric's manservant, although he had raised the prince from the day he had taken his first royal breath into the world. "Dreaming again, prince?" The elderly man said. "Still dreaming, Prince Eric? Even on your birthday?"

The prince opened his mouth to retaliate, only to be led down the stairs by the first mate of the ship. "What's with this somber mood! A birthday is something to celebrate!" The ship officer exclaimed excitedly. Grimsby nodded agreeably. "I concur!"

Taking up his violin, the first mate struck a tune, the chef and his accordion following his beat. The crew danced to the tune happily, some pairing off, others clapping along gaily. Eric laughed heartily, joining in with his pan flute, unaware of a pair of not-human eyes watching him from afar.

Ariel sighed to herself, enamored by the prince. A medium-sized speckled seagull landed by her. "Well, lookie here! If it isn't the little mermaid! What'cha doing here honey?"

"Oh, Scuttle!" Ariel said, surprised to see the gull at night. "Well, I kind of... sneaked out of the palace again to go to the grotto..." she left off, eyes wandering back on the admirable figure of the prince. Scuttle nodded. "Mm-hmm."

Flounder watched from the sea, because he had no arms to pull him up the ship. "A-R-I-EL! Can we go now?" He called nervously, glancing at his sides as if King Triton would pop out and catch them at any moment. Ariel smiled at him. "Don't be such a guppy, Flounder!" She shouted, the music on the ship nearly drowning out her voice. She turned back to the fowl, continuing her story.

"But then Flounder spotted this ship... and I couldn't help myself..."

Scuttle nodded more. "Speak no more, Ol' Scuttle gets it! By the way, how's the dinglehopper(1)?" But Ariel was no longer listening to the fowl, her attention completely focused on Prince Eric. The bird looked over to Flounder, indiscreetly pointing a feathered tip at her direction, mouthing, 'What's with her?'

The guppy made a face like he had congested a barrel of sour lemons. It was a face he usually had whenever his guppy sisters spoke about 'this cute fish in class'. 'I think it's called hormones.' he mouthed back.

* * *

_**In Ursula's Lair...**_

From a place below the sea, inside a dark cave, Ursula watched the little mermaid from her seeing pool, smiling demonically. "Oh, naughty little princess! Making daddy Triton worry so much!" She tittered, dipping her hand into the seeing pool. The visual changed, and Ursula now watched the Mer-king, who paced around the Throne room worriedly.

"Flotsam, Jetsam." She said, calling the attention of her two lackies.

"Yesssss, Ursssula?" they hissed.

Smiling evilly, she pointed to Triton's face in the pool. "You know what to do, don't you?" The eels looked at each other, grinning. They left the lair, and Ursula began to laugh maniacally.

_The next step is already in place. Soon, soon...

* * *

_

_**On Asteroid Hestia...**_

"Unca Jim, uncla Jim!" Four children cried, pulling on the fabric of Jim Hawkins' clothes. Grinning, Jim pulled the only male from the four unto his lap, wincing slightly from the bruise the kids had gave him when they tackled him into the ground earlier.

_Energetic brats_, Jim thought fondly, messing up Delbert Junior's hair. _Delbert can't handle four of them at the same time without the captain. _

The captain had gone away due to urgent business from the Naval Academy, where she was in fact, the headmaster of the school. Without their strict mother around, the children had decidedly gone "on strike", refusing to eat their vegetables or following their curfew.

Delbert was a pushover with his children, and even as he tried to bring back order to the house, the children hid themselves in library, armed with their toy weapons. _They're at their rebellious age _(2), He noted. _But they do idolize Jim. This will come in handy. _The good doctor pulled out a suctioned-cupped arrow from his makeshift helmet.

The three girls surrounded Jim, while Sunny, the only son, stared at the spacer expectantly. Although Jim had a busy schedule, usually juggling mission after mission for the N.A.V.I.I., he always made enough time to visit his godkids, always making sure he had brought presents before hand.

"Okay, okay, I get it." The spacer smiled, pulling out an object from his pocket. "Matey, hold out your hand." He said, while Matey (distinguishable from her siblings with her short red hair) obediently followed Jim's instructions. Dropping a small metallic box into her hands, Jim reached in again into his pockets, taking out the next gift.

Matey looked at her present, and squealed gleefully. "Unca Jim! You're givin' me an engine booster! Does that mean you'll teach me how to solar surf?" Delbert shook his head quickly. "No, it certainly does not!" The spacer laughed. "After you build your first surfer, maybe I'll teach you how to use it." He whispered conspiratorially. Matey nodded happily.

Pulling out a small orb from his pant pockets, he took Sunny's hand and placed it there. "Here, this is for you, Sun." The miniature version of Delbert slid down from Jim's lap, curiously inspecting his uncle's gift. "What is this, Unca Jim?" He asked, feeling the orb. "Is it some kinda ball – woah!" The ball suddenly opened, and a virtual grid of the universe fit itself into the room. The children "oohed" and "ahhed", while Delbert smiled. He and Jim had created it, after all.

"It's a map sphere. It was modeled after the Treasure Planet Map Orb." The human explained, closing the orb with a twist. "All NAVII officers have one."_Actually, I have two._ The grid disappeared, and Sunny took back his present, awed.

Jib, the sweet blond of the quadruplets, pulled on Jim's pants. The spacer pulled her into his lap. His next gift was for Tillie, the smart brunette whose tongue was as sharp as her mother's, but her mind keen like her father's. She looked up at the human, waiting patiently for her souvenir. _Finding gifts for Tillie get harder each time. _Jim thought. He gave her a small, intricate puzzle box.

Tillie stared at her gift, inspecting it closely with her glasses. "Interesting. It is from Planet Alumnus, is it not, Uncle?" The box had a beautiful butterfly trapped within, and by sliding the pieces entrapping the butterfly into the correct positions, it was possible to collect the butterfly.

Smiling at the challenge, Tillie took the box. "Thanks, Uncle Jim." She said. Jib, the youngest, stared down at the floor forlornly. The rest of her siblings' attentions were on their new toys.

Her two older siblings, Matey and Sunny, were always together (mainly because Matey had fun teasing her only brother). Tillie was quite happy to be alone with her books, but when she desired company, she would always look for her father, and they would share a discussion on different things. Their mother, Amelia, loved all her children dearly, but more often than not, she was away on business for the Naval Academy.

Jib was then left to play by herself, mainly because she was "too silly" for words. But the blond was not happy to be alone, not like Tillie. Jim was her favorite person because he always made sure to pay extra attention to the kitten.

"What's wrong Jib?" Jim asked his niece, patting her head gently. The kitten sniffled. She was happy her uncle was here... but soon he'd be gone again! _Poor kid's lonely. Amelia's gone more often, and Delbert's got his hands full with four kids to feed and watch over. _The doctor knelt before his daughter, putting his hand on her cheek. "Jib, why are you crying my dear?" He asked gently.

The other kids came close, noticing their crying sister. They tried to console her, patting her back and giving words of encouragement.

"Who made you cry! I swear I'll get 'im for you!"

"P-please don't cry anymore Jib! Y-you're making me cry too!"

"Pretty kittens smile! So please smile for me!"

Sobbing hard, the kitten managed to say, "U-unca Jim will hafta go away again!" she said, burying her face on the spacer's shirt. "T-then we w-wont see him f-for a long time!" By now, Jim felt very uncomfortable, unaccustomed to dealing with crying children, especially crying little girls. The other three looked at him expectantly, as if saying 'Whatcha gonna do now?'. The spacer turned to Delbert for help.

The good doctor was just as lost. 'I'm a not a doctor, damn it! Well, actually I am, but not that kind of...' he signed.

'DOC!' The spacer signaled. 'Uh... treat her like you would your girlfriend!' Delbert signed back. Jim turned red. 'I don't have one!' he signed back.

"Don't you have a gift for Jib, Mr. Hawkins?" A cool voice said.

"I do..." Jim started, not looking at the speaker. "Oh!" Getting the idea, the flustered spacer offered a universal transmitter to the blond kitten. "What's that?" She asked, sniffling.

"It's a communicator – if your ever feeling lonely, you can call me up just to talk." He smiled, patting her head. Jib stared at her uncle like he was a god. Tackling him in a hug, she buried her head in his chest, mumbling, "Thankyouthankyouthankyou..."

The spacer turned to Delbert, looking thankful. The doctor shrugged. "I didn't say a word." Rubbing his niece's back comfortingly, Jim's brow was wrinkled in confusion.

"Then who...?"

"I believe it was me, Mr. Hawkins." The voice said again. The occupants turned to the source of the sound, only to see a slim feline figure by the door.

"I daresay that this room needs to be cleaned." She said cooly, raising a perfectly straight eyebrow at the disheveled library room.

"Mama!" The kids exclaimed together. Sunny, Matey, and Tillie lined up, backs straight and chests out. "Welcome home!" They said, acting like soldiers.

The cat nodded. "Carry on, my darlings." The children giggled, tackling their mother joyfully. Jim helped Jib down from his lap, and she joined the raucous group on the floor. "You're home!"

Delbert smiled lovingly, offering a hand to his wife. "Welcome home dear."

"It's good to be home." She smiled back, pulling herself up with his hand. They stared into each others eyes, lost in a moment. The girls giggled, while Sunny made a face. Jim coughed, calling the lovebirds' attention.

"Not in front of the uncle." He said, grinning.

"It's good to see you, Mr. Hawkins." She replied, sliding a hand through her hair to keep it in place. "What is this I hear about your... jaunt on the exploding planet?"

_**In Atlantica...**_

"Where could she be Sebastian?" King Triton asked his faithful aide worriedly, pacing back and forth the throne room. His six other daughters were with him, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. "How could she have been kidnapped in the palace? It's impossible!"

The crustacean shook his head sadly. "It must be da work of some powerful dark magic sire."

Attina, the next wielder of the trident (and most admittedly, the mother hen of the sisters), worried for her youngest sister. "Poor Ariel..." she said, pacing the room just as her father was doing.

The heir to the throne rolled her eyes irritably. "Will you two stop pacing! It's not going to do any good!" _I'll be asleep for tomorrow's lessons at this rate. _She sighed tiredly, noticing Arista, Adella, and Alana falling asleep on their fins. "At least let the others go back to sleep. They won't be much help at their state." Andrina snorted by her corner, contenting herself with a book.

Triton nodded. "You're quite right, Aquata."

Swimming over to this other daughters, he patted the gently. "Girls, I'm sorry for waking you, but I think you should go back to bed."

"Mmh," Arista yawned, moving her ashe blond bangs from her face. "No, no. I'll stay awake. I'm worried about Ariel." The other two nodded sleepily, nodding off. Triton smiled at their concern for their sister.

"You must be tired. It's alright, go back to sleep."

Adella held in her yawn. "I-if you say so Daddy. Come on Alana." She said, pulling her younger sister to their room. "Andrina...?" Triton began.

Andrina nodded, understanding. "Yeah, yeah, I'll babysit." She said dryly, following her sisters. Triton looked at Sebastian. "Don't worry your majesty, I'll watch over dem." He said, following Andrina. Gillion swam in from the throne room entrance, carrying warm drinks on a tray. He offered each person in the room a coral mug before hastily bowing and leaving the room entirely.

Now, the remaining mer-people of the room waited in silence, wondering the fate of the youngest princess. Arista looked deep in thought. "Penny for your thoughts, Arista?" Aquata asked, leaning against the wall sleepily.

"Well..." Arista began, biting her lip. "You know... with all the patrols, I don't think it would have been possible for an intruder to get inside the palace." Triton leaned back into his uncomfortable throne, taking a sip of the hot drink.

"Your point being...?"

"Look at it this way: Ariel is missing – but why did he take Ariel? Why not you, Aquata?"

"Maybe the kidnapper had a thing for red-heads?" Attina spoke up. The cogs in Aquata's mind began to whir quickly.

"Then how do you explain the other kidnapped mermaids? They're not red-heads."

Triton listened in silently, sitting on his throne. _Why do I have a bad feeling about this...?_

Arista scrunched up her face, still thinking. "And not only that, but Ariel _does _have a very bad habit... which might mean..."

Aquata clicked the clues together. "Don't tell me...!" Attina looked at her sisters cluelessly. "What? What is it?" Triton stood abruptly from his throne. "You don't mean to say...!" he said, shaking his head. "No, it can't be! I explicitly told her not to leave the palace!"

The soon-to-be wielder of the trident shook her head. "Ariel may be a bit... reckless, but surely she isn't stupid enough to leave the palace during a crisis...!" Arista shrugged. "It's possible. It's better than her being kidnapped, isn't it?"

The king looked to his heir. He had an idea of how to find out if Ariel indeed left the castle of her own volition, but he wanted to see if Aquata would be able to think of it as well. _She is to be queen soon,_ he thought. _She must learn._

But Aquata was no fool. She knew her father better than she let on. _So... he wants to put me to the test? Fine then. _Coughing to catch everyone's attention, she smiled. "There's a way to test you theory, Arista." The said girl looked at her sister curiously. "There is?"

Aquata nodded. "But..." she said, discreetly looking at her father. "I'll need your help to do so, Attina."

"Me!" Attina staggered back, surprised. "I don't see how I could be of any help... but I'll try." She said determinedly.

Nodding, Aquata turned to her father. "Can we borrow one of your seeing mirrors(3), King Triton?" She asked him formally. Smiling proudly, Triton unleashed the Trident from it's stand. "There is no need for seeing mirrors when you have the trident, my dear." _You passed. _

The heir to the Atlantican throne looked at Attina. Their eyes met, and words unspoken were understood. She knelt before her father, accepting the burden that was to become the wielder of the trident. Triton passed the trident to his daughter, a bright flash signaling that the trident had accepted Attina to wield it.

Remembering her lessons, Attina closed her eyes, focusing on what she wanted to see: Ariel. _Red hair, smiles like a nymph, adventurous, bold – magick, show me my sister! _She turned the trident upside-down, the sharp tips facing the floor. With a grunt, she forced the trident down to the ground.

The floor shook , and a watery image began to form on the ground. Attina relaxed, a little tired from her magical exertion. "You did it!" Arista exclaimed, circling the trident wielder excitedly. "You really really did it!"

"Of course she would." Aquata said smugly.

The mer-king shushed his daughters, staring straight into the image on the floor. The girls surrounded it, a feeling of dread welling up in their hearts. _What if she really was kidnapped?_

Silently, they waited as the blurred pictures on the floor cleared, and they saw Ariel – alive. The occupants of the room sighed in relief. "Oh, she's in a lot of trouble when she gets home!" Attina said, somewhat vindictively for her mother-hen personality. Arista laughed. "Told you so!"

Aquata smiled, looking at her father wearily. She was glad Ariel was safe... but the king wouldn't be as happy. King Triton's fear had abided to make way for anger. _How dare she leave the palace! She has no clue how worried we were? _He stewed angrily, the water around him becoming wild.

The visuals on the floor continued to show Ariel, but now, Triton began to notice something definitely out of place. "Isn't he handsome?" He heard Ariel say to some sea fowl. In the background, the mer-king could see a ship and a human dancing on board.

As his anger grew, the mer-king's magic grew with it, biding it's power. _W-what's come over me?_ Shaking, the power and anger continued to strengthen, even to the point where he could no longer control his senses. It became so powerful that Triton could no longer control it.

It exploded into a furious, magickal water storm, with him in the eye of the storm.

"ARIEL!" He shouted. His other daughters frightened, stared at their father. The water began to form into pillars, crashing on the occupants of the room. Roaring, the king of the sea summoned his trident wordlessly, the weapon escaping his daughter's hands and flying straight into his open palm.

"Daddy! Calm down!" They screamed, attracting the attention of Sebastian and their other sisters.

"What's going on in 'ere?" Sebastian shouted. He saw the angry king, and the fear began to well in his heart. Triton's anger had awakened the waters, uncontrollably affecting everything the king could control. Even on the surface, where Triton could still see thanks to the magick cast by Attina, the calm night at sea had suddenly turned into a wild lightning storm, setting the grand ship ablaze.

"Sisters!" Alana screamed, watching her older sisters being thrashed by the water. She moved forward to help, only to be stopped by Sebastian. "Don't move! You'll only get trapped down dere!" Adella began to cry. "Then what do you suppose we do?" Andrina shouted. The princesses' rooms were close to the main entrance, which was why it was not directly affected by the emotional storm created by the king.

Still watching the seeing pool (4), The angered sea king watched with pleasure as a lighningbolt struck the ship, setting it on fire and forcing the humans... no, the _barbarians_ to flee on their tiny boats. _Oh look_, Triton thought gleefully, _One barbarian is stuck on the ship!_ His anger decreased, the the storm lost some of its power.

The door burst open, and the captain of the guards and the guards swam furiously in. "What's going on in here? We couldn't open the door!" Gillion shouted, suddenly grabbing on to a pillar, the water pulling him in.

"Captain!" Sebastian shouted. "Form a chain with your men and save the princesses!" Gillion nodded. He joined hands with his men, with him as the anchor. The guards pulled out Attina, who looked battered and tired. "Save the others, please..." she gasped, fainting. Andrina caught her sister, and carried her to their room.

Arista and Aquata were still within the storm, slowly making their way to the guards. A pillar crack, telling the mermaids to move with haste.

_Ah, that human is going to die_. Triton thought, watching as a human go back to the ship to save an animal, getting trapped in an fiery explosion. A part of the King suddenly felt gleeful, but he squashed the feeling down, suddenly horrified at himself. "What kind of monster am I?" he whispered. The cracked pillar then fell, destroying the seeing pool and restoring the king's senses.

The storm had stopped, a few jets of water still loose. He looked around him, feeling more and more like a monster. "What have I done?"

Pillars from the great throne room had fallen, smashing on the floor. Two of his daughters, battered and bruised, lay close to one of the pillars, too tired to move. Sebastian swam forward.

"Sire?" He said cautiously. "Are you alright?"

"I'm... fine Sebastian." Triton replied quietly.

The captain of the guard ordered his men to bring the two princesses to their rooms. He bowed to the royals, excusing himself to call the royal doctor. Arista was out like a light, but Aquata brushed off the guards' help.

"It's fine, I can stand. No, no, I'm alright." She said, waving off her sisters. She slowly swam over to her father, who was sat still, horrified by his actions. "Father?" she said softly, bending over to touch his hand.

She had seen him once in this state before, right when her mother died. Queen Athena was not only King Triton's wife, she was his friend, his true love. The storms on the human world lasted for months, which was a reflection of the king's heart.

The king stirred at his daughter's touch, stirring. "Ah... Aquata?" He asked shakily, his fingers cold and trembling. "I-I'm fine, please, go with the guards. You're... hurt." Horrified, he traced a bleeding cut on his daughter's shoulder. "Please... go." He whispered, covering his face with his hands. Sebastian stayed silently beside him, signaling the guards.

"Go."

Gillion pulled the heir away gently, heeding their king's command. "Your highness, please." He said quietly when Aquata tried to resist. "Your father needs space." Reluctantly, the mermaid nodded, following her sisters into their room.

As she entered, her sisters buried her with their talk.

"Are you alright?"

"What happened out there?"

"You look so pale!"

"Is daddy going to be okay?"

"QUIET!" Andrina shouted, pushing the eldest over to the balcony. "She needs some air!" She turned to Gillion, who awaited orders by the door. "Captain, bring in the doctor."

"Thanks Andrina." Aquata murmured, holding herself to stop from crying. _Queens don't cry. _Andrina slipped back into the room, muttering an embarrassed "I'll give you some room..."

Aquata sighed, staring blankly at the view, not noticing a dark shadow below. "Aquata!" Someone called from inside. "The doctor's here!"

Sighing again, Aquata turned around. "Yes, I'm coming in!" She answered. She swam only one step before something grabbed her, covering her mouth and forcing her to inhale a strange powder.

And then she remembered nothing more.

* * *

_**On Asteroid Hestia...**_

Delbert Doppler gave his children a warm glass of milk to help them fall asleep. Usually, he also read them a book. But tonight, Uncle Jim read them the story of Captain Flint until Sunny, Jib, Matey and Tillie had fallen fast asleep. Captain Amelia would then sneak in and tuck them in, placing a soft kiss on each of their foreheads.

"Sweet dreams." She whispered warmly, before turning off the lights and making sure Jib's night-light was switched on.

She left the room quietly, quickly making her way back to the library, where she assumed her husband and Jim would wait for her.

Flinging the doors open, she strode in confidently. Jim was by the fireplace, sipping a mug of hot chocolate and reading a newspaper. Delbert was up the ladder, busy reorganizing the books his kids had strewn about the room, muttering under his breath.

Amelia could see her husband from the corner of her eyes. _Unfortunately, it seems like the good doctor will be incapacitated for quite a while_, she mused. _But I suppose that it is a good thing, I need to speak to James privately. _

The captain placed a gloved paw on the spacer's chair. "Mr. Hawkins?" She said briskly.

Jim turned to look at her, smiling wryly. "Hiya Captain. How was your trip to the Naval Academy?"

"Oh, it was as usual. A ragtag bunch of pompous old coots trying to dictate the way I run the school." She snorted, referring to the school governors, who the feline captain often butted heads with.

"What they try to do this time?"

"Some tish-tosh about adding personalized menus for the students. Rather stupid idea really." She shook her head. "That and recruits are scarce, scared off no doubt by the Procyon Armada. Nasty business." Amelia gracefully sat on a vacant armchair, pouring herself some tea. "They're about desperate for new recruits."

The human rolled his eyes. _Typical of the board of governors._ He returned to his newspaper disinterestedly._ But that no longer has anything to do with me. I'm no longer a cadet._

Headmaster Amelia (As it was her proper title, seeing as she had already left the fleet to join the ranks of educators) sipped her tea properly. "In fact, their so desperate, they're willing to take in ex-cadets."

"!" Jim swallowed his hot chocolate quickly, making him cough. "What!"

Amelia continued on as if nothing had happened. "Including the one's they so wrongly expelled... especially a Mr. James Hawkins." She snuck a covert glance at her husband, who had caught wind of the situation and was not so discreetly trying to listen in on the conversation.

The spacer's expression was stony. His fists clenched the newspapers, slowly bringing it down, trying to control his anger. His eyes were alight with anger, but the captain saw something she once had in her heart – sorrow. The mug accidentally fell to the floor, spilling the contents on the ground.

"No." He whispered hoarsely. "I'm not coming back. Not after what they did."

"Then you have let them win!" Amelia hissed, her patience wearing thin after a day of listening to pompous fools forcing their imbecilic ways on her school. She rubbed the sides of her head, trying to regain her composure.

"I'm not saying you should come back." She said softly, meeting Jim's eyes. "God knows I wouldn't." Despite all her gruff tendencies, the captain was very fond of the boy. She saw him as a teacher would – a boy whose potential was as infinite as the stars in the sky .

The door rang, and Amelia stood to get it. She placed a hand on Jim's shoulder before leaving, saying, "Just think about it."

Jim leaned back into the chair, his thoughts whirling. _I can go back! _A part of him thought elatedly. _Do you even want to, after what they did to you? Oh sure! Let's forgive all those people and accept them with open arms, then offer them the knife to stab you with!_ Another part of him thought snidely.

As soon as his wife was out of sight, Delbert hurried down the ladder. He quickly went over to the spacer. Picking up the mug from the floor, the doctor looked at his young friend whose face was trapped deep within his thoughts.

"Jim?" He called, tapping the human on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" Jim responded distractedly.

The doctor cleared his mouth, planning to talk to him seriously about his decision... until he chickened out at the last minute. "How was your mission on the volcanic core?" _Very brave, Delbert. _

"It was alright."

"Nothing exciting happened?"

"I left myself behind to bring back a kid that didn't come aboard the ship."

"Oh." Delbert said, noticing his friend's face was still very muddled. "Um... How's Alita?"

The corners of Jim's lips raised a tiny bit. "She's her usual _charming_ self." He said, an emphasis on the word charming.

"She still hates your guts and fame, does she?"

Jim snorted. "She just can't stand anyone better than she is, especially a human." He scratched his head. "But I owe her one. She could have went straight through the hyperspace tunnel instead of opening the hatch door. It's against our protocol..."

"Protocol?" Delbert echoed.

"N.A.V.I.I.'s number one priority is the mission. Anything that jeopardizes it should be eliminated. I jeopardized the mission by going after the missing kid, making me something to be eliminated." Jim stated calmly.

"What happens when you break protocol?" Delbert could have hit himself. _Dangerous question!_

"I'd have to undergo a trial. Best case scenario is suspension from duties. Worst case scenario is I get sent to jail." Jim's expression became troubled again. "I don't mind what happens to me – but Alita will get the same treatment."

_Stupid, stupid Delbert! Of all the questions to ask! You should be cheering him up, not making it worse!_ The doctor thought, bringing a hand down his face. "Er – Did you..." _change the topic, change the topic! _"Did you enjoy the ride to Hestia?" _Stupid, stupid!_

But the doctor was surprised to see that Jim's face lit up instantly at the mention of the ship ride. "It was great Doc! The R.L.S. Dreamer's sails are a work of art – but highly efficient, with the micropanels used in the stitching! The captain has great taste in ships, and in crew! The helmsman controlled the ship so smoothly that the..." Jim continued on, enthusiastically describing the ship in great detail.

Delbert felt happy. _Did I cheer him up?_

The human finished, a spark in his eyes. Delbert smiled fondly. "You love sailing quite a lot." Jim rubbed his head sheepishly. "Yeah, well... I said a lot, didn't I?"

After a moment, Jim smiled. "Thanks for cheering me up doc."

"So you mean I did actually make you feel better? Thank goodness! I'm rubbish at consoling people, absolutely trash! I have no clue what to say when people are feeling down I'm babbling again, aren't I? I'm stopping now."

Jim cleared his throat awkwardly. "Del, you know I respect you and your opinions, right? Well... as a friend, do you think I should go back to the academy?"

Delbert looked surprised at being asked. "Y-you're asking me?"

The spacer nodded seriously.

The doctor thought for a moment, before meeting Jim's eyes. "I think... you should become a sailor. Wait! Wait, I know it's not an answer to your question!" Delbert added quickly, seeing Jim opening his mouth to comment.

"But... you have this, this... this spark in your eyes whenever you mention anything related to sailing. Your expression brightens when you speak of it. It's the same when you speak about your mother or of the kids. I don't know whether or not you should go back to the Academy... but I think you should do what makes you happiest." Delbert finished, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"Um... did I say the correct thing?"

The human offered his hand. "Thanks Delbert." He grinned. Delbert smiled back, relieved, taking the offered hand and shaking it firmly. "But you do tend to babble when you're nervous."

"I wish you the best of luck, Jim."

The doors opened, and Amelia strode in, followed by two familiar robotic policemen. "I say, isn't that the two robots who patrol the skyway?" Delbert whispered, vaguely remembering a scene from the past where the two robots brought in a trespassing Jim back to the Inn.

"Yeah. I know them – they've caught trespassing far too often than my mother would like." Jim whispered back. _I have a feeling I know why they're here._ Jim thought, nervously rubbing his arm.

Delbert looked at Jim suspiciously. "You haven't been violating nine-zero-four something again, have you?" The human scowled indigantly "Hey!"

"Jim." Amelia said seriously, commanding his attention. The spacer became alert, carefully watching the police men. "Hey fellas." He greeted them, remembering the time they helped him make an entrance during the grand opening of his mother's inn.

"Hawkins." The robotic voice said in reply. The robot on the left threw a paper on his lap. "It's good to see you, but not under these conditions." The robot said.

The one on the right nodded. "Very sorry, Hawkins. But you've been called by the Galactic Alliance. You're under arrest until your trial. Please come with us."

* * *

_**Back in Atlantica...**_

Ariel was on cloud nine.

_I think I'm in love_, she thought elatedly, humming a tune. Flounder followed her, wondering why Ariel was acting so weird. They were on their way back to the palace, after Ariel had saved the human prince from drowning. _I've never felt this way about anyone before!_

She sobered up at the sight of the palace. After bidding Flounder goodnight by the back entrance of the palace, Ariel cautiously looked entered the small crack between the walls, surprised to see that the all the lights within the castle were on.

"The palace is lit? Why in the world... Oh no, don't tell me they think I got kidnapped!" Ariel swam as fast as her guilty conscience would allow. She passed by the guards in the entrance hurriedly, who saluted sharply at the sight of the princess. _There's no point in hiding anymore. _She narrowly avoided Sebastian though, who was trying to restore some order in the palace by the corridor with the captain of the guards.

_Except from him. _

"I'm in _sooo_ dead." Ariel murmured, stopping right in front of the throne room. A light shone through a small crack in between the grand doors, and the mermaid could hear sobs from inside. _What's going on in there?_ She wondered, biting her lip. _They don't really think I got kidnapped, do they?_

Murmuring a prayer to Neptune, Ariel closed her eyes and resigned herself to her fate and a scolding of a lifetime. She opened the door, which made a loud sound and alerted everyone to her presence.

The seventh daughter smiled painfully, closing the door behind her.

"Hello."

"ARIEL!" Her sisters shouted, swimming to her and engulfing her in a hug. Triton slowly followed, and everytime he got closer Ariel felt the dread growing in her stomach. She decided to lose herself in her sisters' talk.

"Oh Ariel, where have you been?" Adella asked, wiping her tears on a handkerchief.

"um... around." Ariel replied evasively.

"We've been so worried!" Alana shrieked, eyes puffy from crying.

"Sorry!" The youngest replied meekly.

"We thought you were kidnapped!" Andrina murmured, hiding her face. Ariel bowed her head shamefully.

"Oh Ariel, something happened!" Attina said softly. "Aquata... she... balcony..." She broke down in sobs. Andrina patted her comfortingly. "Shh."

"W-what happened to Aquata?" Ariel asked, noticing the atmosphere grow tense. Arista strayed far from the cluster of sisters around Ariel, looking angrier and angrier as no one replied. The king looked worn, stopping before his daughters. They all became silent, save for Attina's sobs.

"Ariel." He muttered, forcing the mermaid to face her father first of all.

"Daddy." Ariel said meekly. "I'msosorryforleav ingwithoutpermi ssion!" She said in one breath. Her father said nothing in return. Ariel decided that his lack of ANY response made her feel even guiltier if he had shouted. "But it was for a good reason." She began reaching for the spell book in her bag, intent on proving its usefulness. "I needed to get this, but you wouldn't let me out of the palace unless I snuck out so - "

"Cut the crap Ariel!" Arista shouted, cheeks aflame with rage. She swam in between Ariel and the king, grabbing her sister roughly by the shoulders. "You're just going to spew some lame excuse when everyone knows you snuck out to go to the surface!"

"A-Arista?" Ariel said, shocked at her sister's anger and knowledge of her going to the surface. The elder sister released her grip.

Arista laughed mockingly, her blond bangs covering the side of her face menacingly. "Surprised we know so much?" she asked. "We _saw_ it. Saw it _all._" Her face was contorted by grief now.

"And because of your selfishness..." Tears began to leak from her eyes. "Because you just _had_ to go out on _one_ of your 'adventures'." She sobbed. "Aquata... she's been kidnapped!"

Ariel fell back as if she were slapped. "Aquata... Aquata's been kidnapped...?" Her hands shakily made their way to her face, as if they could hold on to reality. "You're kidding, right? This is just some cruel punishment, isn't it? _Isn't it_?"

"Does it look like any of us are kidding?" Andrina asked sharply. "Take a look at our faces, Ariel. Take a good look."

The youngest quickly looked around the room, taking in the absence of her eldest sister and the pained expressions of her family.

"No... NO!" Ariel shouted, her hands covering her ears, beginning to cry. _Aquata, no! _Memories of the time's spent together with Aquata filled Ariel's mind. "No..."

"Yes – face reality little sister! Aquata's gone!" Arista shouted, her tears falling freely. "And it's all **your** fault." Arista covered her mouth, regretting her words immediately.

"Arista!" Triton said sharply. "T-that wasn't what I meant to say...!" Arista began. But it was too late. Arista's words had hit their mark.

Ariel looked at her hands, her eyesight blurry. "It's all my fault...?" She murmured, shell-shocked. She nodded, accepting. "It's all my fault."

The next wielder of the trident shook Ariel. "No Ariel! It wasn't your fault!" Attina said. "Please, don't blame yourself!"

"No Attina... It's all my fault..." Ariel said, her face blank. "All my fault."

Triton, tired and weary, rushed forward and embraced Ariel. "It wasn't your fault Ariel. It wasn't."

But Ariel stared blankly into space, even in her father's hug.

_All my fault.

* * *

_

End of Chapter Three.

* * *

_**Numbered Stuff: **_

1. Dinglehopper. You seriously do not know what that is (or perhaps you do)? It is the item Ariel found while at the sunken ship, before the shark attacked in the movie. Or to make it short, I believe it was a shiny, silver fork.

2. Delbert and Amelia come from the same specie, except that the males are always canine, while the females are always feline in appearance. They live long lives, but children age quickly (one year = the children age around three years). They grow normally after they reach their teens. So the kids right now are three years old, but look and act like nine year olds.

3. Seeing mirror. It's a special mirror which can only be used to cast spells to see people. Breaking one in half makes it work like a video phone. Mirrors are rare.

4. Seeing pool. If the magick is strong enough, it is possible to use the water instead of a mirror.

5. A legend says that eating the flesh of a mermaid will give you immortality. And you know people – always so hung up on living forever.

* * *

_A drabble of the author – read at your own discretion:_

Should Ariel and Jim have a fighting relationship? You know, calling each others names, fondly teasing each other... Or is that too OOC? Then again a mute mermaid can't exactly... oh snap, I just revealed something! You people have read nothing, nothing!

Er... I suppose this idea was spurred on by a fanfiction I read, where the heroine was a spirited, fiery girl who was frank but kind. A little to feisty, perhaps... while the hero was a man who loved his solitary, loner ways, but was brought out of his shell by the heroine... and yeah, you can tell where I'm going with this... *scratches head*

If any of you actually read this, I feel flattered.

_A (STRANGELY FUNNY) Note:_

Apparently... Disney cut out a line at the end of Treasure Planet. Something incredibly awesome. The doctor and the captain had four delightful puppies/kittens/ puptens/ kitpies, correct? Well, Delbert ISN'T the daddy... oh no no no no! He's the MUMMY. Yeah, apparently, he gave birth to the babies. *laughs*

And, according to a Disney Bed time book (300+ something stories), Sunny, Matey, Tillie, and Jib are the Doppler kids' real names. Sad, but true.


	5. Chapter Four

Finding Silver in the Etherium

By Book Thief

Disclaimer: If I owned Disney, then Eric would have some character. Better yet, Jim would be in the picture!

x. _italics_ mean thoughts

x. _"italics" _mean singing or translated words.

x. **bold** means... er... announcements?

x. _**bold italics**_ mean a change of place

x. Did I forget anything?

x. Seriously people, ask me questions. I WANT TO FLAUNT KNOWLEDGE (and spoilers)!

* * *

Chapter Four

_-Around the corner-_

* * *

**Present Time**

_**Courtroom One**_  
_**The Trial of Jim Hawkins  
**_

"We have come to a decision."

The Grand Councilwoman (1)stood serenely, fingers linked together, looking dignified. She stared straight into the defendant's eyes.

"Mr. Hawkins." She said softly. Jim looked up from the ground, where a gargantuan shark-like alien held him to the cold, metallic floor. "Captain Gantu, release him."

Gantu grudgingly released the spacer, standing back obediently. Jim stood up, rubbing his wrists. The Grand Councilwoman stepped forward, separating herself from her fellow council members. Members of the audience held their breaths, the suspense beginning to suffocate those inside the trial room.

Sarah Hawkins held her hands together in prayer, Delbert placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. B.E.N. covered his eyes, though he often peeked through his fingers. Amelia comforted her children, who began to cry from the tenseness of the situation. Alita struggled by the side, trying to elude the guards who kept her in place. Even Morph was present, circling around Gantu's head. A woman dressed in white hid in the shadows, watching grimly what would be the end of the Great Jim Hawkins.

The councilwoman looked at Jim apologetically. As she passed him, he saw her lips move.

_I'm sorry._

"Captain James Pleiades Hawkins. For you crimes against the better ideals of our galaxy, you are hereby banished from the Intergalactic communities, and will be left stranded on a planet of our choice."

* * *

**A few hours before...**

_**In Atlantica...**_

A week has passed since the heir to the throne, Aquata was kidnapped from the palace.

The people were not at all happy with the news. Rumors began to fly around the city.

"Imagine! The princess, kidnapped in her own home!" An old mermaid gossiped quietly to her neighbor.

"I heard she was taken right in front of Triton!" A swordfish whispered. "How can the king not be able to keep her safe?"

"If Triton can't protect his own daughters, how can he protect his people?" A hiss-like voice added. The many gossipers nodded, not noticing the speaker slip away sneakily into the shadows.

"Quite right!"

"Those poor mermaids..."

"Oh dear, perhaps that is a valid concern..."

"Maybe it's time we get a new king, don't you think?" One murmured indigantly.

A passing young merman wearing a traveler's coat heard this, and angrily faced the speaker. "Treason! How dare you even _think _that!" The speaker backed down immediately, shamefaced. "I-I'm sorry, it was a joke! It wasn't very funny, was it? Ha-ha." the octopus stammered, quickly running off. The gossipers followed, shamefacedly silent.

Urchin huffed. _King Triton treats me like a son! I won't allow anyone to badmouth him!_ He thought angrily, swimming past the busy square, suddenly remembering his childhood, spent on the streets of Atlantica, before Ariel and her father ceremoniously welcomed him into their home.

_It's been two years since I came home... _He sighed unhappily. _I wish it were on better conditions though. I wonder how Ariel's holding up?_Urchin saw an old mermaid having trouble bending down to pick her fallen groceries

"Why, thank you!" The elderly rasped when Urchin picked up various food items for her. She pinched his cheek, saying, "Your girlfriend is a lucky mermaid." The boy shook his head repeatedly, his face red.

"Oh, none? Then the mermaid you like must be blessed indeed." She said slyly.

Ariel's face swooped into his mind, and Urchin blushed further. The traveling merman shook his head. "I-I SHOULD GO NOW!" He shouted, embarrassed. The old mermaid chuckled , mumbling "Ah, youth..."

Urchin swam faster, heading straight for the palace, face flushed for the entire swim there.

* * *

_**Somewhere in the Etherium...**_

Jim rode in the back of the police cruiser, staring out a barred window. The cruiser was heading straight to the G.A. Headquarters. The human could see the metallic figures of the robot policemen in front, and Montressor from behind.

"Hey. Hey! HEY!" He called to his captors. They ignored him. Frustrated, Jim went back to looking out the window as he slumped in a chair, his hands bound together with a pair of handcuffs, jingling as it hit the metal bars.

He stared out into the Etherium, identifying stars as the cruiser breezed past them. "Sirius. Procyon. Alpha Centarui..." He murmured. Jim closed his eyes, pained. He could remember his father's voice speaking the names of the stars. "Polaris. Cassiopeia . Spica(2)..." Jim closed his eyes. And he had fallen asleep.

Where am I? _I looked around me. It was dark, and the stars were out. _Is this a dream? _There was a familiar man beside me. _Oh. It's dad. I really must be dreaming.

"_Spica. She's a special star. Back at the academy, we'd call her a Binary Star." An older man said, patting me on the head. I was three again, watching the stars on the roof of the old inn. I looked at the man curiously. _

"_When two stars spin together at great speeds – that's a binary star. From afar, she looks like one big star." He pointed at Spica, and it twinkled at that precise moment. I was awed. "They support each other to shine best they can." I looked at the man again, this time questioningly. "Just like you and mom?" _

_The man's face was shadowed, forgotten in Jim's young memories. "Yeah. Just like your mom and I." He stared out quietly into the sky. He seemed sad. _

"_Dad?" I remember my voice asking, two octaves higher before I hit puberty._

_He yawned, climbing up the roof and into the window. "It's late. Time to sleep kid." I tried to follow, but my arms were too short to reach the window. "Dad?" I called. He didn't come back, and I called him again, panicking. _

"_Dad!" _

_But he still didn't come back. _

"DAD!" Jim shouted, suddenly upright in his cot. He looked around. _White walls. Oh, I'm still in the cruiser. It was just a dream._

"Just a dream Hawkins, just one horrible..."

He thought, noticing that he had broken out into a cold sweat. _More like a nightmare. _He grunted, wiping off the sweat on his brow before trying to catch more shut eye.

_Why can't I remember his face...? _Jim couldn't fall asleep again, disturbed by his thoughts. _Not like I want to. He can rot for all I care. _He made a disgruntled face. The cruiser came to a halt, sending the spacer flying from the sudden braking.

Jim rubbed his head, scowling. The doors opened, and the Grand Councilwoman stared down at the human.

"Mr. Hawkins." She said, her voice authoritative. "Come with me."

_This isn't going to end well. _

_

* * *

_

_**In Atlantica...**_

Ariel's sisters gathered by the door, apprehensively sneaking looks at their depressed sister.

"It's been a week already." Alana said in a hushed voice. "I'm getting pretty worried now."

"All she does is look out the window." Adella murmured beside her. "She doesn't eat or sleep much anymore." Andrina sighed, shooting Arista a look. "And when she looks at you... her eyes... her smile... they seem so... empty..."

Arista bit her lip, fiddling with her blond hair. "I'm really _really _sorry... I didn't mean it... it just came out..." she said in a hushed voice. "I already apologized so many times, but Ariel just won't hear any of it."

A weary looking Attina embraced her older sister from behind. "It's okay. You didn't mean any of it." She looked at Ariel. "I just hope she'll snap out of it."

Alana snorted. "We've tried almost anything to snap her out of it. Threatening her, begging her... what haven't we tried?"

"Scolding her, for one." Andrina murmured.

Adella made a face. "It's hard to be angry with her when she stares at you. It feels so – so..."

"... so sad." Arista whispered, the guilt biting into her once more.

"Attina!" A sharp voice called. The said girl winced visibly. "Oh no."

"Young lady, you bedder have a good reason for skipping out on Mr. Orcus like dat!" Sebastian scolded. "You know you need dose magick lessons!"

Attina bowed her head shamefacedly. "I'm sorry Sebastian. I just wanted to check up on Ariel."

The red crab snuck a peek at the youngest princess. "She's still in dat funk of hers?" he asked rhetorically. "What dat girl needs is a good talking to." he muttered loudly, and the sisters turned to look at each other, then to the crab, and nodded their heads in agreement.

When Sebastian turned, the older mermaids smiled at him.

"Sebastian, you're so right!" Alana said flatteringly, circling close the crab.

The crab "I-I am? I mean, I am." He finished proudly.

"Her actions of late seem a little... over." Andrina muttered, turning a page on her book.

Adella nodded helpfully. "Daddy isn't stern with her – at all! Maybe she needs a strong, manly presence in her life to show her that she's being silly." She batted her eyes at the crab.

The crab threw his chest, looking proud. "I suppose I am very forceful." He chuckled.

Arista laughed coyly, sending Sebastian her patented 'I-am-a-damsel-in-distress-and-you're-a-big-strong-man-come-and-help-me' look. "Very... _strong_." she whispered, close enough for him to hear.

The crab puffed his chest even more. "Dat's right! And you can count on me if ever you ladies need help!"

"Then you'll talk to Ariel for us?" Attina breathed hopefully, eyes wide and innocent.

"Of course!" Sebastian replied happily, only realizing a moment later that the princesses, who were giving each other high fives, had tricked him. His face fell. "W-wait!"

"Thank you so much Sebastian!"

"You're the best!"

"So forceful!"

"So strong!"

"We're counting on you!"

And with that, they pushed him into the room, watching from the crack in the door, their faces serious.

"Ohh man." Sebastian groaned. He swam over to Ariel. The mermaid made no sign of noticing the crab, her gaze concentrated on the view of the balcony and the visible shapes of buildings and hills outlaying it. "Aryal?" he said gently, pulling on her fins.

The mermaid turned to look at him, her gaze scarily empty.

"Sebastian...?" She said softly, and her expression brightened. "Did you find Aquata? ("Aryal." The crab murmured.) Is she alright? ("Aryal." He said again, albeit louder.) I'm really sorry, it's all been my fault and ("ARYAL!" The crab shouted.) – "

He shook his head. "I'm sorry child." And the guilt pricked him, seeing Ariel's hope-filled face crumble like sandcastles by the beach.

"oh."

Sebastian turned, hoping to get out of the room, but the elder princesses' looks forced him to turn around and try again. 'Be stern! STERN!' they mouthed.

The crab eeped and turned, steeling himself. He puffed up his chest, and made an austere face. "Aryal." He said authoritatively. He swam closer, and landed by her shoulder. "Look at me child."

"I know this is hard for you..." _I know it is for me _"... but moping around here won't do nobody any good. Dere are many, many things you could do, like..." Ariel wasn't really listening, but she nodded along, his words registering vaguely in her mind. Sebastian continued to drone on endlessly.

"... and magick! To be able to use magick, child, is a gift. With the right spells, one can do anything. Like turning invisible, or even finding a lost mermaid in the great salty divide, or even turn you into a crab..."

_Wait a second. _Ariel thought. _Turning into a crab...? _She whirled on the crab. "Sebastian, could you repeat that?" She could hear her sisters murmuring excitedly outside the door. Sebastian looked surprised.

"... magick can bring peace?" He said questioningly. Ariel sighed mentally. "No, before that."

"Magick can turn you invisible? Can turn you into anything? Even..."

"...A crab! That's it, Sebastian, that's it!" She twirled excitedly, sending the crab flying from her shoulder. She grabbed her bag, and without so much as a backward glance, she swam off quickly, not noticing her sisters' shocked faces.

They followed her as soon as the shock was gone.

"What happened there?" Arista asked breathlessly, passing over the corridor with a quick kick of her fins.

Attina shook her head. "I have no idea."

Adella plowed past a few guards, shouting a quick "Sorry!" as she passed. "But it's a good thing right?"

"I hope so. Either that or Ariel's finally gone over the deep end." Alana grunted, trying to keep her hair in place as they followed the red-headed mermaid.

Andrina sighed. She hadn't followed her sisters, instead swimming leisurely with Sebastian holding on to her fin. "Why aren't you following after them?" He asked curiously. "You worry over dat girl almost as much as da king does."

The mermaid paused mid-kick. "Because I already know where she's going." She turned to look at Sebastian, who clearly didn't believe her. "Where den, may I ask?"

"The library."

* * *

_**Galactic Alliance Headquarters**_

_**Grand Councilwoman's Office...**_

"Grand Councilwoman, what is the meaning of this?" Jim asked his superior warily, his tone respectful. "Why am I being arrested?" He followed the alien as she made her way to her office, waving away the guards with a hand.

"Mr. Hawkins, all will be explained as soon as we enter my office. What we must discuss is confidential, and must remain so. Have patience, captain." A large, shark-like alien guarded the door to her office.

"Grand Councilwoman!" He said, surprised. He bowed deferentially.

She nodded to him. "Mr. Gantu. I'm afraid your services are needed elsewhere today." _A dismissal to her guard? This must really be important. _Jim thought, watching Gantu slink away sulkily.

The Grand Councilwoman opened the door quietly. "If you please."

Jim entered the room, noting that the curtains had been closed, and there was someone standing before him. It had a feminine shape, though it's face was covered in a white veil with an insignia of a seven pointed star enclosed by galactic rings. _That insignia... it couldn't be...! _

The alien behind him entered, and closed the door just as silently as it was opened. She locked the door, and waited by the door, hands behind her back.

"I have brought you Captain Hawkins as you had instructed, your highness."

The human's eyes widened. _Highness!_

"You have my thanks, Grand Councilwoman." The voice was unmistakably feminine. "Captain James Hawkins?" she addressed him, moving closer into the light. Jim took a good look at the insignia. _That's the insignia of the royal family! _

He kneeled down before the princess of the Etherium. "Your highness." (3)

The princess tapped his shoulder gently, her long silver hair brushing his cheek. "Oh no, none of that, Captain Hawkins. Please, stand and feel free to speak." Jim did so, noticing he was a good foot taller than the royal. He stepped back. There was an awkward silence.

The spacer cleared his throat. "Your highness, if I may ask, why am I here?"

"Oh, yes, of course. I'm very sorry." She said sheepishly. "Grand Councilwoman?"

The alien nodded. "Mr. Hawkins, what you will hear in this room shall stay in this room forevermore. If you can not agree to this condition, I'm afraid that your coming here would be all for naught."

He gave the Grand Councilwoman a look. _Cunning woman!_ "You know I can never say no to a mystery, councilwoman." She smiled at him fondly. "Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't have chosen you for this mission."

"Is me getting arrested for no reason a part of this mission?" He asked glibly, a little irritated at being taken away from his godchildren.

"Yes. In fact, the entire plan hinges on your arrest." She clapped her hands, and a hologram projector began to project an image. "Please watch this transmission the princess received."

_"Princess Etheldreda."_ A half human, half fish woman said, her body projected into the room.

Jim's eyes widened. _A mermaid?_

_"I am Princess Attina, sister to the heir of Atlantica, Aquata. Your highness, my sister has gone missing. She was kidnapped from the castle, and the underwater nation is in grave peril. My father, the stubborn man that he is, refuses to ask for help. But no matter what we do, we can not find her. It is as if she were spirited away. It can only be the work of an overlander. Please, my sister is in grave peril!_

The transmission ended, and the hologram faded away. Princess Etheldreda turned to the spacer. "Captain Hawkins, what do you know of mermaids?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Mermaids. Half human, half fish. They have hypnotically beautiful voices, and are an extinct species, due to illegal hunting of their kind in the year 4290, after the the rumors of their flesh granting immortality hit the black market."

"That is mostly correct." Ethel said. "What you don't know is that there are still mermaids living in the Etherium. After the mermaid hunt, they hid away to a single planet."

"The mermaid you just saw is the sister of one of my dearest friends," She paused here, and her tone was laced with pain. "Who has indeed gone missing." Jim nor the Grand Councilwoman made no attempt to interrupt.

"I received this transmission only recently. Her father is the king of Atlantica, an underwater kingdom of mermaids, and he has not found his missing daughter yet. I confess I became suspicious, and checked the air records of their planet. It seems that an airship recently landed in their area."

She turned around. "After the 4290 mermaid hunting, mermaids have always been protected by the Galactic Alliance and the Royal Family. The recent airship landing and the rash of mermaid kidnappings are too... coincidental."

"So you want me to find the princess?" Jim clarified. "But why do I need to be arrested in order to do that?"

"It is because you are the darling of the media, Captain. For you, even simply walking in the streets is headline worthy." The Grand Councilwoman said calmly, a smile on her face. The human turned red. "It's not that bad!"

"The mission may take months to complete. The media will notice your disappearance right away, and it may alert the culprit. If you were arrested for, let us say... attempting to assault the princess? You would be banished to an undisclosed planet. After you find the mermaid princess, we will clear you of all your crimes right away."

The spacer's head began to spin. "You want me to risk my life, the honor of my family, and break my mother's heart just to find the missing mermaid?"

"It may seem... a bit much, but yes, essentially,"

"Then why me? There are other officers out there who are just as capable."

The princess answered his question this time. "Because I believe that you are the only one capable of finding her." Jim stared at her in surprise. "Do not seem so surprised, Captain. Yes, there are other officers who might be willing to take up this task, but none of them are exactly human."

_Ah. It's a human planet._ "What if I can't find her?"

"You will." Ethel said, and Jim could just imagine her smiling. "Do you agree to take on the mission?"

The human thought. "May I have some time to think it over?"

"Take all the time you need." The Princess said. She and the Grand Councilwoman shared a look. "Mr. Hawkins?" The councilwoman called softly.

"Yes, councilwoman?"

"The council members are planning on taking revenge on you." She said simply, as if commenting on the weather.

"They do that often." Jim replied in turn. "And they usually fail." He smirked at that.

"I'm afraid it's different this time around. They plan to take revenge differently – they will put Miss Alita on trial for insubordination."

"What?"

The Grand Councilwoman rubbed her forehead tiredly. "She indirectly disobeyed an order when she waited for you. The council plans to get rid of any ally of yours."

Jim scowled.

"You're far too loved by the masses for them to attack you directly. So they will attack your family and friends until you hide away. You are endangering their positions as council members. Your mother's inn may face a territorial dispute soon. Captain – I mean Mrs. Amelia's ship may get into an accident."

Jim closed his eyes. "You aren't giving me much of a choice. It's either stay and endanger my family or leave and possibly never return."

"I'm sorry." Ethel apologized uncomfortably.

The human sighed, before looking straight at the princess. "I will accept your mission.." Her hands clasped together happily. "...on two conditions."

"Captain! You are in no position to-" The Grand Councilwoman began, before Jim raised a hand in front of her. "Madame, I am risking not only my life, but I will leave my family and friends not only in grief, but in danger as well!"

"...very well then." The alien woman said, turning to the royal. "Will you listen to him, your highness?"

She nodded. "I believe I owe him at least this much. Speak freely, captain."

Jim raised a finger. "The first condition is that you will care for my mother and the Delberts if the mission goes wrong, and explain to them what really happened." Ethel nodded again. Jim raised a second finger. "The second is that I wish to see your face before I decide. I can not trust someone whose face I can not see."

"Mr. Hawkins!" The councilwoman shouted angrily. Ethel raised a hand.

"No, he is right, councilwoman." She gingerly lifted the white veil. Her white hair cascaded down her back, and her ears were pointed at the edges. The royal insignia was tattooed to her forehead, contrasting with her ashen skin. Her eyes were shimmering silver.

_She looks human... and not human at the same time. _Jim thought. He repeated the first condition. "Do you promise to uphold the first condition?"

Etheldreda stared straight into his eyes. "I promise." _...I believe her. _

"I accept the mission, your highness." He said, relaxing a little. _At least mom and the kids will be fine. _The princess smiled, and for a moment, Jim swore that he saw a light shine upon her.

"Thank you, Captain."

* * *

_**In Atlantica...**_

Urchin entered the palace, and the guards saluted him and called him "Master Urchin" as he passed. As he was about to enter the Throne Room, noises down the hallway caught his attention.

Blurs of red haired and green finned mermaid torpedoed past him, and she was already turning the corner when the merboy realized who it was.

"Ariel!" He called, swimming after her. He was joined by four familiar looking mermaids. "Urchin!" Arista said, surprise evident in her tone. "You're back!" Urchin grinned in reply. Right after Ariel, he liked Arista best from the royal sisters, even though he found it uncomfortable being alone with her.

"Save the pleasantries for later, we've got to catch her!" Alana gasped, out of breath. Urchin, being the fittest, was in front, while Arista followed after. She would sometimes join Ariel's little misadventures - Neptune knows how fit you have to be to keep doing it. Adella, Attina, and Alana were not as lucky.

"What's up with Ariel?" Urchin called to Arista.

Arista flushed a bit, something the merboy noted and stored in his memory. "She's been a bit... depressed after Aquata was taken." Attina, who was close enough to hear their conversation noticed her sister kept her part in the event quiet. "But she just decided to get up today. We don't know why, so we're follwing her."

"You're good sisters."

Arista flushed further. _Please, don't say that. You don't know what I said to her Urchin. I don't deserve your praise._

The conversation ended, and they followed the red-headed mermaid in silence.

_

* * *

_**Present Time**

**_Embarkation Deck _**

**_Galactic Alliance Headquarters_**

Jim hugged and kissed his godkids goodbye.

"Unca Jim, you'll be back, right?" Jib asked quietly, eyes red and puffy. He ruffled her blond head. "I'll be back kiddo. So don't cry anymore, alright?"

The kitten tried to look brave. "O-only if you promise me you'll come back."

"I promise." Jim said solemnly, bending down.

Jib held out her pinky stubbornly. "_Pinky _Promise?" Jim took the offered finger with his own. "Pinky promise." He smiled. The kitten sniffed again, and smiled. "You promised. Now you _hafta _come back."

The ex-officer grinned and stood. He went over to Delbert and Amelia. "Del..." He began, rubbing his neck nervously. Delbert made a sound similar to a choked sob and hugged the boy. Amelia rolled her eyes. After an awkward moment, The good doctor coughed and released Jim. "Stay safe." He said with dignity.

Amelia placed a hand on the human's shoulder. "We'll take care of your mother until you return."

"Thanks, Captain." Jim smiled. B.E.N. sobbed oil, dropping the black liquid on Jim's jacket when he came over to say goodbye. Alita went to him. "You're an idiot, you know?" Jim raised his arms in mock surrender. "Yes, yes I am." Alita punched his shoulder lightly. "Thanks Hawkins." She muttered, embarrassed. She ran off quickly.

Finally, Jim saw his mother, waiting by the door to ship that would take him away.

"Mom." He said.

Sarah Hawkins hugged her son tightly.

"Take care of yourself, alright Jim?" She whispered into his ear.

Her little boy (who was no longer little by any standard) hugged her back.

"I'm sorry Ma." He whispered. "I didn't do it."

Her tears began to pool in the corner of her eye. "I know you didn't Jim. I believe you."

A robot officer tapped Jim on the shoulder. "Mr. Hawkins? The ship is departing soon." Jim nodded and broke out of his mother's embrace. She gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I love you Jim."

He blushed. "Ma!" Sarah laughed. Her son grinned. "Kidding, kidding. I love you too Mom."

The Grand Councilwoman waited beside the doors. "You're quite the actor, Captain." She said quietly.

He sent her a sarcastic smile. "It wasn't an act, I'm afraid."

She nodded. "Here." There was a quick witch of hands, and Jim received a small bauble. "What's this?" He asked, hiding it inside his jacket. "It's from the princess. She says it will help you." The councilwoman nodded again. "She sends her regards. We both hope to see you again soon." She went away. Jim turned around.

"I'll see you soon." He called to his friends and family, before getting on the ship, the doors behind him closing with finality.

He sighed. "Well, another adventure begins."

_purr_

Jim's surprised face was mirrored by Morph, who had decided to copy his owner's face. It squealed delightedly before rubbing against Jim's cheek.

"Morph, you scamp! You followed me!" He said laughingly. He petted it thankfully.

"Another adventure... I wonder If we'll see that old scallywag..." The human mused.

"Nah."

* * *

**_In Atlantica's Royal Library..._**

Ariel knew what she was doing.

_I'll need to know how to use my Magick If I want to find Aquata. _She thought. She pulled out book after book on Magick. Another book, one given to her by Urchin, was in her bag. She had gone through the book a few days earlier, only to realize that the "Find Me" Spell she had found would work only on land.

"But it will work." She whispered. "Now, the biggest problem right now is how do I become human...?"

She poured over all the books.

_I'll find you Aquata. I promise!_

* * *

**Numbered Stuff:**

1. Grand Councilwoman is her title and name. She has to be impartial always, needing to abide by the laws. So she has to let go of her name and race, and just simply become the "Grand Council/woman". She is elected by her fellow council members, who are in turn elected by the people.

2. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. It's actually two stars that circle one another, but from afar it looks like one star. I learned about it from a manga called Twin Spica. Try it?

3. The Etherium is ruled by a monarchy. The Princess is acting alone. The Royal family isn't human. They just _seem _human. Elves? Hehe.

**Author's Note:**

I am very VERY sorry -bows head in shame- I got caught up with college...

Good news though, I know how Eric adds to this equation... at last... :D

FORGIVE ME FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE! (Grovels on the floor) COLLEGE IS EVIL.

On another note, It's nice to see you, Urchin! My memories of the little orphaned merman are a little fuzzy, but he reminds me of a more earnest (is that the right word?) Jim. Which is probably why I liked him much more than I liked Eric... URCHIN IS SO FREAKIN' ADORABLE. GAWD.


End file.
